Reality
by LovelyAmberLight
Summary: I wanted a more realistic story of a whovian getting stuck in the "Doctor Who" universe. This isn't the typical "yay, I met the Doctor" whovian story. Think about it. If you suddenly found out the Doctor was real, wouldn't you be just a little scared. That would mean all the monster were real too! This story starts off with the episode "Rose," and will continue on from there.
1. Chapter 1

Lilly stood still and completely stunned. She was still wearing her camping gear, but she was no longer with her friends on Mount Clearwater. She was standing in a restaurant watching a fictional Rose Tyler and a plastic Mickey having a discussion at one of the tables

"Hello," said a voice. Lilly turned to her left to see who had spoken. It was herself. Lilly was looking at herself. Her double played with the zipper on her jacket, while she spoke. "You fell."

"What?"

"When you were hiking, you fell. You hurt your arm. Probably dislocated something. They say that hurts worse than a broken bone. Not fun." Lilly stared at this strange women incredulously. She hugged her arms. She wasn't hurt. But how did she get to the restaurant? When did she leave the camp ground? And why were there fictional characters near by? "The pain medicine is making you hallucinate." That made sense, sort of. "You'll be fine. But you should have fun while you're dreaming," the double smiled nervously as she spoke. Lilly looked around the room slowly. Could this seriously be a hallucination, a trick of her mind? It seemed so vivid. But there was no way this could be real. It was that seen from "Doctor Who." It was right before the Doctor ripped off Mickey's head.

_Definitely not real_, thought Lilly. _But way too real to be a dream._

"Like I said. Drug hallucination. It will seem more real than a dream. You might even incorporate any real pain into your illusion."

"I don't hurt." Lilly was skeptical. She had never had much experience with any kind of drugs. She'd never had surgery, and rarely took aspirin. So, she didn't know if this kind of "drug" hallucination was possible. But she also knew this scene was from a television show, so it could NOT be real. "I'm hallucinating." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yup. Don't worry. You'll be fine in a few hours when the drugs wear off. But you should have some fun while you're here." Lilly slid off her backpack and set it on the ground. Her pack felt real. It was heavy, and she felt relieved without all that extra weight on her shoulders.

"What do you mean, fun?"

"Make sure you get on the Tardis. Can you imagine how cool this dream... uh... hallucination will be. Getting to see the Tardis, and all that." Lilly's double sounded excited, but her body language seemed stressed. Her hands rubbed together, she shifted her weight back and forth between her feet, and bit her bottom lip.

The double glanced over at Rose's and Mickey's table. Lilly followed her gaze. The Doctor was walking towards the couple determination in each step. Lilly's stomach fluttered. She loved "Doctor Who." It was her favorite SciFi show, and the ninth doctor was her favorite doctor. Ten was good, but nine always seemed more... tough. He wouldn't put up with anyone's crap. Lilly always thought that nine and Rose should have gotten together. She grinned from ear to ear when she saw him. He looked... real. Far too real for any ordinary dream.

_Maybe this is why people take drugs_, she thought to herself. _Wow! Just look at him! _ The Doctor was offering them the champagne. He was so much more than anything she'd seen on T.V. He was tall, and broad shouldered. His leather jacket was lose, but his tight jeans flattered his physique. Lilly didn't doubt he could appear menacing, if he'd wanted too.

The whole room was so much more than a televisions show. Lilly could smell pizzas and pastas from the kitchen. She could hear the traffic from outside. The colors of the room were less muted. She could feel the irritation of some odd couple arguing quietly a few tables away. There was the noise of a fussy baby in the background. And, Lilly noted, there was no background music to set the mood for an audience. That was weird.

"I'll watch your stuff. When the moment comes, go that way." The double pointed. "Into the kitchen, through the hallway on the right. That's the RIGHT hallway, not the left. And then go through a metal door to get outside. You know the way. Remember the show?"

"Yeah, but not THAT much detail."

"Just do as I said. Get on the Tardis." Lilly looked at her double like may be she was crazy. Lilly loved watching the show, but living it was different. There was no way living through that kind of suffering and terror could be fun, even if it was a hallucination. "Just...just trust me. Nothing bad will happen. It's just a dream. Get on the Tardis. You won't regret it."

The double seemed to hesitate for a moment, while watching Mickey's reaction to the Doctor. "It's almost time. Be ready to run." Lilly turned back to the scene playing out a few meters away. "Go!" The double gave Lilly a shove, pulled her hood tightly over her own head and turned to face away from the Doctor. At the same moment Rose pulled on the fire alarm. Lilly jolted forward into a run.

Rose and the Doctor ended up right behind her. Lilly ran like her life depended on it. It felt like her life depended on it. She could hear Mickey crashing around after them, and felt a rush of adrenaline in her legs.

_Can I die in real life, if I die during a hallucination_? The thought startled Lilly. The trio ran through the kitchen, down the hallway, and out the door. Rose ran towards the gate. The Doctor sauntered towards the Tardis. Mickey pounded violently at the metal door. And Lilly stood stunned staring at the blue box.

There it was. The imaginary blue box that had kept millions of fans enthralled for nearly half a century. It was bigger than Lilly had expected. She stood about 5' 8" tall. But if she was to stand in the door way, she doubted she could reach the top of the door frame, nor touch both sides of the door frame simultaneously. It seemed silly to think it was bigger on the outside, but it was bigger. Lilly giggled silently to herself. At least it was bigger than she'd expected. The color was more vibrant than it was on the show too. But the lettering on the box was impossible to read. It didn't look like English at all. It looked more like some alien language, not Gallifreyan, but something else.

_That's really weird. Maybe written words didn't work during dreams._ She'd read that somewhere.

Rose ran into the box and promptly slammed the door. _Oh no! _thought Lilly. She turned to look at the metal door that was being methodically demolished. For a split second she forgot that this wasn't real. Fear grabbed her. _They're going to leave me! _Only a second later Rose ran back out of the time machine to run around the outside of the Tardis. Lilly didn't hesitate a second time. She ran into the Tardis only a breath before Rose entered again.

"It's going to get us!" Rose almost shouted.

"The assembled hordes of Genghis Kahn couldn't get through that door, and believe me they've tried. Now, shut up a minute." Rose and Lilly looked around at the enormous room, while the Doctor busied himself with Mickey's plastic head.

There was nothing like seeing something in person. Lilly would have compared this experience to the differences between watching a fireworks show on T.V. and watching it actually happen. No high definition in a televison screen can compare to really seeing it. No episode of "Doctor Who" could compare to what she was experiencing now. The coral like structures stretched far higher than Lilly had ever realized. The colors subtly changed throughout the walls. Under the grating they were standing on she could see a whole other room full of wires and lights. There were more hallways leading off from the basement and the main floor. The room smelled of cinnamon, fresh cut wood, and burned wires. There was something else too. A presence she felt pressing up against the back of her skull. Her body's reaction to it was similar to when someone would walk into a dark room, and could just tell that someone else was standing near by. There was no doubt in her mind that the Tardis was alive. That had to be her she was feeling. Lilly reminded herself that this was only a hallucinated dream.

Lilly turned to look at Rose. The blond was breathtakingly beautiful. Her features were soft and gentle, but her presence felt almost commanding. _No wonder why the Doctor falls for her,_ thought Lilly.

"See, the arm was too simple," said the Doctor with his back turned towards the girls. He was hooking up wires to the plastic head. "The head is perfect. I can use it to trace the signal back to the original source." He set the head down. "Right. Where do you want to start..." The Doctor had turned around and stopped. He stared at Lilly as if seeing her for the first time. "Who are you!" He looked flustered, and took several slow steps towards Lilly. "How did you get on my ship!"

For several heartbeats Lilly was startled frozen. She didn't know what to say. Here was THE DOCTOR, and he was NOT happy to see her. She was uninvited, and apparently unwanted on his ship. The Doctor was far more intimidating than anything portrayed on the show. His jaw was tight, arms folded, and his eyes were boring right through her. He was angry, she thought. Lilly could feel danger just below the surface coming from the alien. She was... frightened, honestly and truly frightened. Her heart rate increased, and her hands trembled slightly. Would he throw her back outside with Mickey? Would he hurt her? No. This was the Doctor. This wasn't right. Why would she dream that she was not wanted on the Tardis, after telling herself to get on the Tardis? Maybe this was a nightmare, not a dream. Lilly finally found her voice.

"Just...there was a monster or alien or something." Wow, that was awful. Those were her first words to the Doctor. How lame was that? She tried to recover. "You said we should hide in here." The Doctor looked at her for a moment, and then relaxed a bit.

"Right then. Guess there was," he nodded slightly as he spoke, "And guess I did." His expressions softened. "What's your name, then?"

"Lilly. Lilly Brooks".

"Eh. Looks like I have all flowers today," the Doctor joked to himself. "Nice to meet you Lilly Brooks. I'm the Doctor, and this is Rose Tyler." Lilly released a breath she had unknowingly been holding in. She was going to be O.K. _It's just a dream_, Lilly reminded herself.

"Hello," Lilly nodded towards both people. The Doctor had paused for the usual questions humans had.

"It's inside's bigger than the outside," Rose piped up. The Doctor grinned. That was the sentence he'd been waiting for.

"Yes."

"It's alien," Rose added.

"Yup."

" Are you alien?"

"Yes." Lilly noticed a brief moment of sadness flicker across his face when he answer. She had never noticed that in the show before. "Is that alright?"

"Yeah," Rose answered without any hesitation. The Doctor looked at Lilly.

"F... Fine," she said hesitantly.

"It's called the Tardis, this thing. T.A.R.D.I.S. That's time and relative dimension in space.

"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Lilly stammered out. And she meant it. She was a whovian after all. The Doctor smiled at her. Who could believe that she could dream of something this lovely? When she got home... or rather when she woke up, Lilly had decided, she would paint this scene. It was spectacularly perfect. At that moment something in Lilly clicked. She decided that she wasn't going to worry anymore. She was going to enjoy this dream for everything it was worth. This was going to be fun.

Rose started to cry. Instinctively Lilly turned and put her arm over Rose's shoulders.

"That's O.K. Culture shock. Happens to the best of us," said the Doctor.

"Are you worried about your friend?" Lilly released Rose.

"Did they kill him? Mickey. Did they kill Mickey? Is he dead?

"Oh. I didn't think of that." The Doctor seemed dumbfounded. Lilly was going to tell Rose that he was fine, but Rose cut her off. She was angry.

"He's my boyfriend! You pulled off his head! They copied him, and you didn't even think!"

"He's fine, Rose," Lilly started to say.

"And now you're just going to let him melt!"

"Melt!" No one seemed to have noticed what Lilly had said, but the Doctor's huge brain catalogued her comment for future reference.

"No, no, no, no, no!" the Doctor shouted and jump frantically around the console flipping switches and pulling levers. He continued to shout, but Lilly stopped listening when the ship shuttered to life. She watched in awe as the room slowly began to fill with tiny ribbons of golden light streaming out and upward from the console. No one else seemed to notice or care about the stunning display. _That was different from the show._

The Tardis stilled. Lilly followed the other two out of the ship. She listened eagerly to their conversation without adding a word.

"If you are alien, how come you sound like your from the north?" Lilly loved his answer.

"Lot's of planets have a north." The Doctor seemed almost offended.

"What's a police public call box?"

"It's a telephone box from the 1950's." The Doctor unfolded his arms, grinned, and caressed the Tardis. "It's a disguise."

"O.K." Rose smiled back at him. "And this living plastic. What's it got against us?"

"Nothing. It loves you. You've got such a good planet. Smoke and oil. Toxins and dioxins in the air. Perfect. It's just what the Nestine Consciousness needs. It's food stalk was destroyed in the war, and all it's protein planets rotted. So, earth- dinner."

"Any way of stoppin' it?"

The Doctor pulled out the vile of poison from his jacket. "Anti-plastic," he said with a grin on his face.

"Can't we make a deal with it?" asked Lilly.

"What?" The Doctor turned his full attention towards her. She hesitated. "How do you mean?" She didn't say anything. "Go on."

"Well, I was just thinkin'," she continued, "If it eats all that nasty stuff- all of our pollution, maybe we could... I don't know... be friends. We give it a place to live. It cleanse up after us. If I just lost my planet because of some war, and I was starving... Maybe it would prefer a peaceful coexistence, if it had the option. No anti-plastic." Lilly smiled. She knew what happened in the show, maybe things could be better in her dreams.

"Lilly Brooks," the Doctor smiled. "Very good. I'm impressed. Peaceful solution." Lilly was amazed at how his praise affected her. She smiled and stood a little taller. "But no," he said. " If the Nestine Consciousness stays on Earth even without a war, it's plastic nature would overwhelm your planet within a few months. All life would die."

"So," Lilly frowned, "Anti-plastic." The Doctor nodded.

"But first I've got to find it. How can you hide something that big in a city this small?" Lilly listened while Rose and the Doctor figured out where the transmitter was.

It wasn't long before the three of them were running towards it. They were running hard and fast. Rose didn't seem to have any trouble keeping up, but Lilly was already getting a stitch in her side. Lilly was surprised when the Doctor took her hand. Maybe, she thought, he could tell that she was having trouble keeping up. But then he took Rose's hand. Lilly looked over at Rose. She was breathing really heavy now. Maybe Rose was starting to have a hard time running too. It never seemed that far on the show, but it sure felt like they were running for forever in her dream. Thank goodness the Doctor was helping her out. He didn't even seem winded. She smiled to herself, as the trio ran hand in hand towards trouble. When they paused at the bottom of some cement stairs, Lilly bent over. She put her hands on her knees and gasped for air.

"You alright?" the Doctor asked with a look of concern.

"Just not," gasp, "use to," gasp, "running," Lilly answered. Lilly stood up and began to massage the stitch out of her side while walking slowly around the area.

"We weren't even goin' that fast," the Doctor commented with a look of worry.

"Sorry," Lilly added lamely.

"So," Rose distracted the Doctor, "Here's the transmitter. Now what?"

"The consciousness must be somewhere underneath," the Doctor answered. Rose's eyes met Lilly's, and Rose smiled. _Rose did that on purpose_, Lilly realized. She had distracted the Doctor when she noticed how uncomfortable his concerns were making Lilly. Lilly gave Rose a smile of appreciation. They had known each other for less than an hour, and Lilly already felt like she had found one of her greatest friends. _If only she was a real person_, Lilly thought with regret. Rose glanced away and started looking for a way the get underneath the transmitter.

"How 'bout down here," she called. After a few minutes, Lilly found herself climbing down into the underground lair.

The Doctor, Rose, and Lilly stood at the top of the landing just before the stairs. Lilly knew how this would work. A whole lot of people were killed on the show. She wouldn't let that happen in her dream.

"The Nestine Consciousness. That's it. Inside the vat. A living plastic creature."

"Well, tip in your anti-plastic, and let's go," said Rose.

"I'm not here to kill it. I have to give it a chance."

"You said peace wouldn't work," Rose argued.

"I have to give it a chance to leave." The Doctor made a step towards the creature, but Lilly stopped him.

"Listen to me," she said with one hand on his arm. "This won't work." Lilly looked the Doctor right in the eyes.

"How do you mean?" The Doctor's expression turned serious.

"You're going to go down there and talk about Shadow Proclamations, invasions, and stuff. But it won't care. It will find your ship, and bring it here. For some reason seeing your ship is going to make it mad. You'll say something about fighting in a war and not being able to save any of them. The store window dummies will grab you. They'll find the anti-plastic. Then that alien plastic is going to get really scared, and start a full invasion. A lot of people will die, while..."

"How do you know about the Shadow Proclamation? What are you? What planet are you from?" The Doctor thumped twice on Lilly's head.

"Ow!"

"Not plastic," the Doctor stepped back, "By order of the Shadow Proclamation name yourself!" The Doctor was overpowering. Lilly suddenly cowered under his gaze. How could he do that to her?_ It's just a dream, _she reminded herself.

"I...I'm," Lilly swallowed hard. She couldn't rip her eyes away from his piercing blue stare, "hu... human. I'm human. From Earth. America. Arizona. Phoenix." "Humans know nothing about the Shadow Proclamation, or the war." He raised his eyebrows. Rose stepped back suddenly no longer trusting Lilly. Lilly was instantly hurt at the loss of her trust.

"So, spill it, now," the Doctor continued. "How do you know about any of it!" What could she say? How could she possibly explain? Oh, by the way, none of this is real. I'm just having a hallucination. Maybe it wasn't a hallucination. Maybe it was real. _That's ridiculous,_ thought Lilly, but she still didn't have an answer for the very dangerous looking Time Lord. She hadn't thought this through. She froze.

"Right then. Since I can't have you interfering," the Doctor grabbed Lilly roughly by the wrist, "and I don't have time to figure you out," drug her towards the railing, "you'll have to wait here." The Doctor had his sonic screwdriver in hand. "Take you to the Jadoon when I'm done." He used his sonic screwdriver to bend some of the metal from the railing around her wrist, effectively handcuffing her left hand. "Can't believe I let you on my ship. Let me guess," he scowled at her, "Chlorovork. Here to help the Nestine Consciousness take over the sector. You won't be making a profit on THIS world. Not while I'm around." Lilly tugged at her wrist, while Rose and the Doctor briskly walked away hand in hand. Lilly was crushed. How could the Doctor praise her for trying to help the Nestine consciousness make peace one moment, and threaten her with Jadoon the next! How could anyone keep up with his moods!

"You can't do this," she called after them, tears already starting to blur her vision.

"Yes, I can," he glanced back from the stairway with Rose following right behind him. "I'm doing it now. See." The arrogant alien was quickly descending the stairs.

"But the room's going to explode! If you leave me here, you'll have killed me!" Lilly shouted angrily, but there was no reply. She pulled hard against the metal. It cut into her skin. She stopped. She watched them heading towards the lower levels. They had left her. She was alone, and she was going to die here. Lilly hung her head, and started to cry. She didn't want to. She tried to hold her tears back, hold her breath in. This wasn't even real. Why was she crying? But she couldn't stop herself.

Lilly felt someone take hold of her restrained hand, and give her a little squeeze. She looked up, but her tears prevented her from seeing who it was. She heard the sonic screwdriver, and blinked her eyes clear.

"Sorry about this." It was the Doctor. His voice was soft. "You were right. I should have listened." He bent the metal away from her. She was free. Lilly promptly slugged the time lord in the arm as hard as she could. He didn't even flinch. He raised his eyebrows, and asked, "feel better." Then she noticed his jumper. It wasn't the same one he had been wearing moments before. She turned around and looked through the layers of stairs. There was the Doctor who had just left her moments ago standing in front of the Nestine Consciousness. The Doctor standing next to her had to be from the future. He'd crossed his own time line!

"Paradox!" she barely spoke above a whisper. The Doctors face showed a flash of surprise at her word. In that moment she turned and ran towards the Nestine Consciousness as fast as she could, leaving the future Doctor behind. Maybe there was still time.

Lilly made it to the landing where the Doctor started struggling against a shop window dummy. There was nothing she could do. It was too late. The Nestine Consciousness was already transmitting. A second later the stairs leading to the exit were crushed under the weight of the ceiling collapsing on them. Lilly ran forward onto the landing to get away from the debris. This was way too real to be a hallucination. She was starting to believe her own dream.

_Just a dream. Just a dream. _It became a mantra.

The dummy holding the vile of anti-plastic started moving towards Lilly.

"Just leave them!" shouted Mickey. But Rose didn't listen. In a matter of moments she was swinging towards the Doctor like Tarzan. But, Lilly realized, the second dummy had moved to the wrong spot when it started towards her. The Doctor was about to be dominoed right off the ledge, and it was Lilly's fault. If she had stayed out of the picture, the dummy never would have moved towards her. Rose's swing would have been perfect.

Lilly bolted forward just as Rose nailed the first dummy into the second dummy. The Doctor twisted and shove hard against the second dummy, but he was still hit with enough momentum to push him over the edge. Lilly slid across the floor and reached out for the Doctor. He grabbed her arm as he fell. Lilly heard something in her arm snap. PAIN! HOT SEARING EXCRUCIATING PAIN! She screamed. Lilly screamed like she had never screamed in her whole life.

It wasn't a dream. It wasn't a hallucination. It had to be real

. In that moment of pain Lilly just knew it. The Doctor's weight had broken her arm and pulled her halfway over the edge. He was about to let go. He was about to sacrifice himself, so Lilly might not be pulled over with him. But Rose grabbed hold of Lilly's body, and pulled.

"COME ON!" Rose shouted, "CLIMB!"

"Come on," whimpered Lilly. A few breaths later the time lord was back on the landing.

The anti-plastic which had landed in the vat, was quickly dissipating. The Doctor didn't hesitate. He hoisted Lilly into his arms, ignoring her cries of pain, and ran up the only remaining staircase towards the Tardis. Rose was right behind him. When they reached the time ship, he set Lilly on her feet so he could open the Tardis doors. She almost fell over. She felt faint, holding her throbbing arm. She leaned heavily against the Doctor's side. He was still supporting her with one arm. Moments later she was lying on the jump seat covered by the Doctor's jacket. He was busy at the console sending them into the vortex. Mickey was crouched and cowering by the doors, and Rose was hanging onto the rail.

"Rose, keep her talkin'," he shouted as he ran down a hallway, "She's going into shock." Rose stood next to Lilly and smiled at her.

"Hi." Lilly looked up at Rose's face. Lilly didn't try to smile back.

_The isn't a hallucination,_ she thought, _This isn't a dream. Dreams don't ever hurt like this. This is real._ Lilly could feel the panic welling up inside of her. She had never been so scared. She started to hyperventilate.

"You were really brave back there. That was," Rose shook her head, "That was the most incredible thing I've ever seen. Where did you learn to slide like that? Do you play softball?" Lilly didn't answer. Rose tried again, remembering Lilly's American accent. "So, wha' are you doing in London?" Nothing. No answer. "Were you visiting..." Lilly just stared blankly, and started to shake. Her whole body trembled. Rose looked up to see the Doctor running back into the console room with a first aid kit. "Doctor, she just started shakin'"

"It's from all the adrenalin in her system. You humans have this nasty little fight or flight response. Keeps you alive, but the side effects are...," he glanced up at Rose while kneeling down next to Lilly, "How about you? You feelin' alright?"

"Yeah. 'm fine. Mickey's...well, a little shaken, but not hurt. Is she going to be alright?" Mickey whimpered from across the room, and the Doctor rolled his eyes irritably at him. He gave Lilly a shot of something pink.

"That's for the pain." Rose noticed Lilly visibly relax. She exhaled. "Good," said the Doctor to himself. He scanned Lilly with the sonic screwdriver, and then lifted a small blue stone from the first aid kit.

"This is for the shock," he explained. "Inhale," the Doctor ordered Lilly. Lilly sniffed at the rock he held under her nose. "Good." He watched her, his eyes taking in every reaction. She stopped hyperventilating. Her breathing returned to normal. "Good. A little more. That's it. Nice and deep." Lilly inhaled slowly until the faint sent of fabric softener filled her senses.

"That's really gross," Lilly commented with a grimace. The panic left her system. She felt calm. She was alright. Then she remembered she was still upset with the Doctor for not listening to her. At least he'd come back. And he had apologized. That was more than he would do for Captain Jack Harkness. The Doctor smiled and relaxed. Mickey whimpered, again. The Doctor tried to ignore him.

"Feelin' better now are you?" He put the stone back into its pack. Lilly did feel better. She wasn't hurting, and wasn't panicking. Even the trembling had stopped. Lilly tried to sit up. The Doctor's jacket slid part way off of her.

"Wo!" The Doctor stopped her, holding her down with his free hand. "You should stay still for a minute. I know you feel better, but you're still hurt."

"The Doctor's right," Rose chimed in, "you got pretty beat up savin' his arse." The look in Rose's eyes had changed back. There was trust there now. And something else too. Admiration. Lilly smiled. Rose glanced down at Lilly's arm, and Lilly followed her gaze. She was mortified. It looked like her elbow had been bent the wrong way, and her arm had been pulled out of her shoulder socket.

"Nothin' I can't fix. You'll be good as new." The Doctor tried to reassure her with a gentle smile. "Sorry, by the way. I'm sorry that I didn't believe you. I was wrong. I thought... well, it doesn't matter. I should have listened. Just... in the future... when you give advice, you should include how you know what you're talking about. People will be more likely to believe you."

"It's alright. You already apologized when you let me go." It was only after this second apology, though, that she forgave him. He was right. He had no reason to believe her at the time. "And I'm sorry I hit you. I was just so angry... No excuse. Assault is never O.K." Lilly slurred her words, "I'm sorry." She felt strangely relaxed. Lilly should be freaking out right now. She had just discovered that "Doctor Who" was real. She had almost died. She met Rose Tyler. She was in the _real_ Tardis. She had her arm almost ripped off. But that was all ok. Everything was ok. She felt really, really ok. _Why was it O.K.? _Lilly's vision started to blur... and dance. _This is goooood_.

"When was that?" The Doctor looked concerned and surprised. His question helped her focus. Lilly knew enough from the show to understand that crossing his own time line was a serious violation of some time lord rule, so he needed to fix any paradox he'd created as soon as possible. _Wait. Was this a show, or was it real? _ A look of confusion crossed over Lilly's face. She was having trouble remembering.

"What's the matter?" asked Rose. Mickey whimpered, again. The time lord had had enough.

"Right then. You stay put," he nodded towards Lilly, "Just give me a minute." With incredible speed the Doctor ran around the console flipping switches and pressing buttons. He took them out of the vortex and landed them ten minutes after the life had drained out of the plastic monsters. Lilly blinked at the blurry ribbons of light recoiling back into the time rotor as the Tardis landed.

Rose's phone beeped to signal she had missed a call, and Mickey bolted from the time ship as fast as he could. Rose followed him out, while calling her mother. The Doctor glanced at Lilly and then shifted his attention towards Rose. Lilly thought she heard the Doctor invite Rose to come with him just as she drifted off into a very deep slumber.

After bringing the time capsule back into the vortex without Rose aboard, the Doctor turn to face Lilly. He leaned against the console, legs crossed at the ankles, arms folded. With an untrusting and serious look he studied the sleeping woman.

Human. Was she human? Some creatures he'd fought in the time war could make themselves appear as almost any humanoid species. Time lord technology could tell the difference, but that technology was now lost in the war. She'd known the future. Humans never became time sensitive enough to predict the future as accurately as she had. Maybe she was a time agent. No, he would have detected cellular damage from using one of those self-destructive vortex manipulators when she stepped onto the Tardis. She had wanted him to leave the Nestine Consciousness unharmed. Twice, she had tried to manipulate him away from using the anti-plastic. Manipulate. Was that the right word?

Maybe she was just a nice person. She didn't want anyone to get hurt. Huh! When was the last time he had met a "nice" person? Well, there was Rose. And he had known a lot of nice people before the war. Some of them had even been human.

Rose. It would have been nice for her to come with him for a trip or two. She was probably a very nice person. She had to be nice to put up with Mickey. Ug. Mickey. Nice was so rare these days. Maybe nice wasn't the right word. Caring. Yes. Caring was a good word. At least is was good for English. Splatec. Now, there was a language with good words. Twenty seven different ways to say caring, all with specific connotations. Was Lilly a caring person? Or was she just pretending, so she could get close to his Tardis?

Should he have let her back onto the capsule? She almost died saving him. Well, she had almost died if she was human. But if she was a Chlorovork or something else only pretending to be human... What would be the point? The war was over. Most chamaeleon species had been stunted back to a reasonable advancement during the battle of Char. The most the Chlorovorks could do now was temporally linear war profiteering. No worse than most humanoids. No one was after his Tardis.

He was overreacting. He had been a soldier too long. And he was tired. It had been nearly two weeks since he had slept. Busy fortnight. Lilly was just a mystery, that's all. Right? All of these thoughts and 1.4 million more raced through the time lord's truly spectacular brain, while he had been staring at Lilly.

Just to be sure the Doctor started to replay the days events backward through his magnificent mind's eye. He was just about to concede his trust to this broken woman in his console room, when he noticed it. There. That was odd. He saw her in his recent past. Lilly had been standing next to another woman in the pizzeria. They had been watching him as he entered the restaurant. Lilly hadn't taken her eyes off of him, and she grinned when she saw him. The Doctor shuttered. It was like they had been waiting for him, stalking him. The other woman had prompted Lilly to run at the exact moment needed to ensure she could end up on the Tardis. That would require future knowledge. And to make matters worse, when the Doctor ran past the other woman, she deliberately concealed her identity. This was premeditated, and Lilly had tried to keep it from the Doctor. If she was keeping secrets from him, he couldn't trust her, not until his knew what she was hiding. Should he kick her off the Tardis? No. He would set up extra security protocols to protect his ship though. Besides, Lilly could be a danger to others. He would have to keep her close enough to watch her for a bit. _This could be just a misunderstanding_, he hoped. But he knew even if she was just a time sensitive anomaly to her species, he couldn't let her wonder off uncontrolled. When he had all the facts, then he would take whatever action was needed.

The Doctor looked haunted for a moment. He truly hoped his suspicions were wrong. She seemed so peaceful sleeping on the old sofa, so innocent. And she had help Rose save his life.

The Doctor knew the first aid he'd given Lilly would put her to sleep pretty quickly. But after hearing about his possible crossing of time lines, and analyzing the days events, he wished that she had stayed awake a little longer. He wanted to get this interrogation over with quickly. He had too many questions. Still, it would be easier to treat her injuries, while she was sleeping. And he could use some rest before dealing with her.

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	2. Chapter 2: Barefoot

This is the first time I've written **anything**. Bit nervous. I'm completely flattered it's been 'followed' and even 'favorited.' Every time I get ant email notice about this story, I squeal and share it with my family. (My kids think I've gone nuts.) Thanks for reading.

Chapter 2: Barefoot

Something sticky squished between Lilly's fingers. _That's weird. _She rubbed her finger tip against her thumb. _What is that_? she thought. It felt like satin, but wet. She slowly became aware of a muffled hum. It sounded like she was under water. Lilly wiggled, stretching her back. It felt like she was under water, but the water was thick. She sluggishly opened her eyes, and was startled. Lilly was laying on her back in some kind of transparent tank filled with cool gel. She could see the brightly lit sterile white room the tank was in. The gel covered her whole body. She could feel satin between her toes. She could feel it in her ears. With a panic Lilly realized it filled her mouth and nose. It was covering her face! She gasped in reaction. And was surprised when she didn't choke. Lilly was breathing this goop! _What is this?!_ It felt good to breathe it in, almost soothing. Lilly breathed slowly experimenting.

_Where am I? _With a sudden serge all the memories of the days events came rushing back to her. She remembered the pizzeria, the Doctor, Rose Tyler, the Tardis, and the alien invasion. Lilly frantically hit the top of her tank trying to find a way out.

"Let me out!" she tried to scream, "Let me out!" But her lungs were full of goo. She couldn't make a sound. She struggled to push against the glass trapping her in the tank. The gel instantly drained off of her body, absorbing into the mattress under her. At the same time the tank began to disintegrate starting at the top and quickly descending down the sides. Lilly soon found herself laying on a very dry and regular looking hospital bed wearing only a hospital gown and a spandex-like blue sleeve covering her injured elbow. She pushed herself up, and coughed the remaining gel violently out of her lungs. She jumped off the bed and backed away from it like it was a rabid animal. _Calm down_, she told herself after a moment.

Lilly looked around the very white circular room. In the middle of the room was something like the control panel from the console room on the Tardis. But instead of the normal dark color, it was a very pale cream. She must be in a room on the Tardis. Surrounding the light-colored console like spokes on a wheel were eight hospital beds. The foot of each bed began about six feet away from the console. The console was missing the time rotor, but instead was covered with what Lilly could only guess to be shelves of medical equipment. The light in the room emanated from the walls and floor leaving the ceiling slightly shaded. On the wall at the head of each bed was a computer monitor, and several odd looking gadgets.

All of the computer monitors were blank except the one at the head of Lilly's vacated bed. It was streaming Gallifreyan writing at high speed. Lilly was amazed. She was standing in the medical bay of an alien space ship. And it was real. She couldn't help but feel impressed.

The cold tile floor felt good on her bare feet. Lilly's skin felt soft, and silky. She rubbed her fingertips together again. Then she ran her hand through her hair. Her hair was soft and completely dry. The hum of the Tardis made the whole place seem empty, lonely. It felt like a vacated department store, desolate. A shiver ran up Lilly's spine.

Where was the Doctor? Lilly waited for a bit just listening. Surely, he wouldn't just leave her alone for too long. After what Lilly guessed was about 15 minutes, she started to wonder what she was supposed to do. She looked around for the clothes she had been wearing earlier. Earlier. Lilly realized she didn't know how long she had been sleeping in that contraption.

She realized she didn't know a lot of things. First of all, could Lilly get home. That was the most important thing, because she did not want to end up as one of the casualties on the show. Second, how did she get into "Doctor Who" land? If she was stuck here, how would she live? She wasn't even in her own country. Well, the Doctor could always drop her off in the U.S. So, that wasn't really a problem. But what about her family? Were they here too, or was she alone? What about all the aliens? Earth, on the show, was always on the brink of death. How could she possibly be safe here? Was this an alternate reality, or something else? What else could it be? Were all television shows alternate realities? How did the show writers...? Lilly stopped. She shook her head. The Doctor would know. Right? Wait. Should she tell the Doctor? What if telling him anything would create a paradox?

_Paradox_, she thought fearfully. Lilly thought back to the restaurant. She knew now that she had been talking to herself. That was a paradox she had created. But why? She had wanted to get herself onto the Tardis. She had even lied to herself. "_Just trust me. Nothing bad will happen_," Lilly remembered. There had to be a reason. Lilly ran her hands up over her face and through her hair. This was too much, just too too much. She was a real person, after all. She wasn't used to these kinds of situations. She needed to find the Doctor. She needed answers. Lilly stepped cautiously through the double doors at the end of the room into the hallway.

"Hello," she called, "Doctor?" Lilly listened. The only sound was the hum of the time ship. _Maybe I should just wait a bit longer_, she thought. But there was another reason Lilly needed to leave the medical bay. She needed to find a bathroom. Tentatively, Lilly moved down the hallway opening doors and calling for the Doctor.

After what seemed like an hour of wondering the Tardis, Lilly was starting to get worried. She had forgotten when she started out that the Tardis could be almost infinite, and she was sure she was lost. Every hallway looked the same. Every door looked like every other door. The coral console room theme extended throughout the ship.

"Doctor," she called again. _Oh, just give me a bathroom, _she thought to herself, _Please, please, please! Just give me a bathroom._ Lilly opened another door. The room was magnificent. It was a ballroom, complete with polished marble floors, and hand painted walls. The chandeliers were glorious. The wall opposite of the doorway Lilly was standing in was covered with arch shaped twenty foot high windows which seemed to look across a spectacular garden sitting under a starlit midnight sky. It was breathtakingly beautiful. But then all the rooms were spectacular. _Not a bathroom_. Lilly shut the door. She was getting annoyed and on edge. It was like wondering through a brilliant city with all its people (and bathrooms) missing. It was eery.

_I bet Rose never had problems like this._ She opened another door. Badminton court. Next door. Swimming pool. Next door. Arboretum. Next door. Library. _Wow! Now that's impressive! _Lilly couldn't help but look around at the levels and levels of books_. Still no bathroom. _Next door. New hallway. No new doors. Lilly kept walking. The hallway abruptly ended opening up into the console room. _Oh, thank goodness_.

"Doctor?" Lilly called out for the hundredth time.

"No. Really. I'm not here to cause trouble. I was just passing through. Honest." Lilly heard the Doctor's voice, and followed its path. She saw the Doctor on the monitor. _He must be just outside the Tardis_. He was strapped to an examination table, and his chest was bare. His jacket and jumper were on the table next to nasty looking utensils. He was pleading with an alien who was the darkest shade of black Lilly had ever seen. His skin ruffled a rainbow of iridescent colors when he spoke. She couldn't hear the alien's question, but she heard the Doctor's reply.

"No. No, I'm traveling alone. I'm not dangerous." The dark alien pulled a strap across the Doctor's mouth, effectively gagging him. Lilly gasped and brought her hands to her mouth when the alien stabbed the Doctor with one of the utensils from the table. The Doctor's body shuttered with pain. If he hadn't been gagged, Lilly was sure the Doctor would be screaming. The only violence Lilly had seen was on T.V. This was nothing like television. She was horrified at this scene playing out on the computer screen in front of her.

She was suddenly very scared. She rubbed her hands together to keep them from trembling. She wasn't the kind of person who took risks. Lilly couldn't go out there to help the Doctor. They could get her too. But if she didn't help the Doctor, he would probably die. If the Doctor died, Lilly was sure she wouldn't survive the Tardis. She couldn't even find the bathroom. Lilly looked around the gymnasium sized console room with trepidation.

The alien slowly pulled the instrument from the Doctor's belly relishing his discomfort. The mechanism streamed a long thread from the Doctors body to the utensil. The cruel torturer disconnected the utensil from the thread, and attached the thread to a mass of electronics hovering over the Doctor. He reached for another piece of equipment.

"What do I do?!" Lilly almost shouted. The alien looked up. His beady bright blue eyes stared directly at Lilly from the monitor. Had he heard her? The alien abruptly set down the instrument and left the room. Lilly watched for a moment. He didn't come back. She waited. Was it safe?

Lilly walked over and carefully cracked opened the Tardis doors. She peeked out. There was no one else in the room. If she hurried, she might be able to release the Doctor before he came back. What if she couldn't get the Doctor free? What if the restraints were some special alien contraption she couldn't open? She didn't have a Tardis key, and knew she couldn't leave the doors open. Did the Doctor still have his key? Or would she be locked out. What would they do to her, if she was caught? Lilly shook her head. She was terrified.

_Do what is right, let the consequence follow_. The words to a song her mother often sang to her when she was a child came into her mind. _Right_, Lilly thought. _Remember who you are, _she finished with another one of her mothers phrases.

In one swift movement Lilly stepped quickly out of the Tardis and shut the door. The Doctor was staring at her with wide eyes, trying to shake his head 'no'. He was trying to say something to her but the gag was preventing him from making any sense. Lilly's smile from overcoming her fear slipped when she saw the shape of a man at the corner of her eye. He was invisible except for a slight distortion when he moved. Lilly tensed. It was a trap set to lure her out of the Tardis. She hesitated, not knowing what to do. _What would Rose Tyler do? _The question spurred Lilly into action.

"You look like your freezing," Lilly said cheerfully walking towards the Doctor. She picked up the Doctor's jacket on her way with unsteady hands. Carefully, with hidden fingers, she hurriedly reached into the inner pocket where the Doctor kept his sonic screwdriver. _Bingo! _She slipped the device out of the transdimentional pocket into her hand. And, as she reached the Doctor, she covered him with the jacket like she was trying to keep him warm. She slid the screwdriver under his hidden hand. The jacket had hidden her actions, and now hid the evidence.

"I hope this helps," she said with a concerned look. There was nothing left for her to do but hope. Lilly relaxed when she saw the Doctor smile at her behind the gag. Suddenly four dark aliens came into view. Their invisibility disappeared like a shimmer. The closest alien angrily grabbed and restrained Lilly with his powerful arms. The alien who had previously left the room returned in a hurry.

"If you lied about being alone, what other lies have you told?'' He addressed the Doctor with something like hate. The alien turned to Lilly. "And what are you?" He ruffled his skin as he spoke.

Lilly struggled against her capture, but she was no match for his strength. The lead alien leaned in close, and reach towards her caressing her cheek with his knuckles. _Come on, Doctor. What are you waiting for?_ she thought, _Do something_. What was he waiting for? Terror filled her senses. Maybe there wasn't anything he could do with the sonic screwdriver. Maybe he wasn't as great as the show made him out to be. Maybe the only episodes that were aired were the ones that had good endings. Maybe... things were about to get very bad for her. She stopped struggling.

She closed her eyes to block out the terror. The alien pressed his palms to Lilly's cheeks. He tilted his head to one side while he looked at her. He purred. What was he doing? Lilly felt her skin begin to crawl at his touch. She could feel him. She could feel him crawling under her skin. It felt icky. It was stifling. It was suffocating.

"Not Chlorovork," he released her suddenly. She opened her eyes. "Foreigner. Human." It ruffled. "Take her to detention for processing. Illegal alien." Lilly heard the sonic screwdriver. The aliens covered the tops of their heads, and collapsed. They were unconscious. She looked at their lifeless bodies, and swallowed hard. She ran quickly towards the Doctor, and opened his gag.

"What took you so long?" they asked each other simultaneously.

"Here, take the sonic screwdriver. Point it at the restraints and push the button." Lilly obeyed, but her hands were trembling so much, she could barely hold it.

"What happened to them?" Even her voice trembled.

"Sound sensitive race. At least when they are in their native form. Probably won't work again. They'll take precautions, after this," She pressed the button on the sonic screwdriver, and tried to hold it steady. Lilly looked concerned. "Sonic equals sound. Sensory overload. They'll be fine in a few minutes." The Doctor smiled like the answer was completely obvious.

"I got lost in your Tardis," Lilly told him while she worked. "I couldn't find you anywhere." She frowned a bit.

"Sorry, bit busy." The Doctor snatched the sonic screwdriver from Lilly's shaking hands with his freed hand to finish the job himself. "How did you know about the sonic screwdriver?" he asked.

"Just lucky, I guess," Lilly answered. She didn't think it was the time to explain anything until they were safely back on the Tardis. She hadn't even decided how much to tell him.

The Doctor grimaced. It wasn't that she knew about the sonic screwdriver that bothered him. She had seen him use it when he handcuffed her to the railing. It was the fact that she knew about his secret transdimentional pocket which held his screwdriver that was making him worry. What was it about this human? He was pretty sure she was human now. The Chlorovork leader had tested her. He had pronounced her a human foreigner. The technology needed to see if she was an almost undetectable shape changer had been lost in the time war, but Chlorovorks had the uncanny ability to tell what someone was. That skill was necessary when their entire race could look like something else.

She was human. Which was almost worse. With the accuracy of her predictions, and the evidence that she had never traveled in time before meeting him, she was most likely a time sensitive creature. If she wasn't human and the time lords were still alive, he would have simply taken her to Gallifrey. They would have trained her, watched over her, made sure she didn't create some temporal disaster. If she was an extremely willful or hostile case they would have simply erased her mind, and returned her to her own time.

But humans had been banned from Gallifrey. Only with special permission from the High Counsel could one of her species even step foot on his home world. Leela had been the only exception. Leela. That had taken some finagling. Humans were considered one of the most dangerous and willful species. Their constant drive for freewill was one of their most admirable qualities, but the other time lords never saw it that way. Lilly would be no different when it came to her freedom. The punch she had given his arm was evidence of that.

He couldn't leave her on her own. A time sensitive individual with understanding could bring havoc to the entire vortex . An ignorant time sensitive being could do much worse. Without the time lords available to help clean up a major catastrophe, there was no choice. She would have to travel with him. He would have to watch over her. _This could be tricky_. The Doctor supposed that he could always erase her mind, but he was afraid that her abilities might be strong enough to repair her lost memories. If that happened, she would consider him her enemy. THAT would not be good... very not good. He could be forced to take final action. The Doctor looked forlornly at Lilly. _No_, he thought, _I won't let that happen_.

"Did he say Chlorovork?" Lilly asked, remembering the leaders assessment of her. The Doctor winced as he pulled the thread free from his stomach.

"Yes."

"You called me a Chlorovork when you left me handcuffed to that rail." The Doctor finished freeing himself, and put on his jumper and jacket, but didn't say anything. "Are they Chorovork?"

"Yup."

"Why are we here?" Lilly asked suspiciously.

"Just lucky, I guess," the Doctor used Lilly's words against her. "Come on." The Doctor turned towards the door to the room instead of heading to the Tardis.

"Why aren't we getting back on the Tardis?" Lilly was getting very nervous now. She had no interest in getting hurt on some adventure, and she was still only wearing a hospital gown. She kept holding the back of it closed to cover her unmentionables.

"The Tardis is currently surrounded by a force-field. You can come out, but nothing goes in." He stepped through the door as he explained. "We can't get in until we shut it down." The Doctor glanced up and down Lilly, and shook his head. "You should always wear shoes when you leave the Tardis." Lilly felt the rough floor under her bare feet. "We might have to do some running. Clothes you don't have to hang onto might help too," he said as an afterthought. Lilly couldn't believe he just said that.

"Sorry," she answered sarcastically, "next time, before I rescue you, I'll spend another millennium wondering around your infinite ship finding where you hid my clothes... and shoes." A thought crossed her mind. "How did I get into this hospital gown, anyway?"

"Next time?" The time lord tried to shift her focus to the possibility of staying with him, instead of her potentially embarrassing question. "Does that mean you're planning on sticking around? My ship doesn't just travel near your system, you know. I can go anywhere in the Universe." Lilly couldn't help but notice the hopeful sound in his voice. They quickly walked down a dimly lit hallway passing multiple doors along the way.

"I want to go home," Lilly wouldn't string him along. She wasn't that cruel. "I've got friends and family I want to get back to." The Doctor nodded with a look of defeat crossing his face. Lilly felt bad, but this wasn't the life she wanted. This wasn't the life any sane person would want. _I mean, come on_, thought Lilly, _Who volunteers to run for their life every single day. That's completely insane. Good for a movie, but not for real life_. The Doctor stopped in front of a door and began sonicking the lock.

"Well," he said as he opened the door, "I can't let you go yet."

"What?"

"That cast you've got on your arm." Lilly looked down at the blue cloth sleeve she was wearing on her injured joint. They entered to control room, and the Doctor dead locked the door behind them. He seemed cautious with his next words. "That's future technology, there. Can't let it out of my sight. Could cause a paradox. You know what a paradox is, don't you, Lilly?"

_Let the interrogation begin_, thought the Doctor.

"Who doesn't?" Lilly was surprised at the question. The Doctor was smiled at her answer. _Anyone who watches T.V. knows what a paradox is_, thought Lilly.

The Doctor picked up a lab coat from off of a chair and tossed it to Lilly. She gratefully slipped it on. Her backside was safe.

He then stepped closer to one of the control panels against the wall. He seemed to be completely focused on it, flipping the odd switch or two. So his next question took Lilly by surprise as well.

"What did you mean when you said paradox right after I released you from the railing?" Lilly's eyes widened.

"I...I dunno," she stammered.

"Well, you said it," said the Doctor, "What did you mean?"

"Just... you crossed your own time line. So... If you didn't survive the Nestine Consciousness, you couldn't come back to let me go. Paradox."

"How did you know I travel in time? I never said anything about time travel until just a moment ago when I mentioned that future technology you're wearing." Lilly gulped. Was that right? Had he never mentioned time travel? Lilly remembered that that was the reason Rose said no the first time he'd asked her to come with him. She didn't know he could travel in time. _Alright_, Lilly thought, _time to come clean_. She would have preferred to do this on the Tardis, but apparently the Doctor had other ideas. Then another thought struck her.

"Wait," she paused, "Did you already go back and release me?"

"Yup," he answered quickly, "don't like leaving a paradox lose." He flicked another switch. "Never wait to fix a paradox." The Doctor instructed. Lilly took a deep breath.

"What if you know the future?" Lilly asked, "Can sharing future intel. really create a paradox?"

"Yes." The Doctor nodded and moved across the room to another control panel. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver, and scanned the equipment. _This seems to be going well_, thought the Doctor. "Do you know the future?"

"Sort of." Lilly breathed a sigh of relief. The Doctor would fix this. She wouldn't have to worry anymore.

"How a person comes across that information effects how dangerous it can be. Sometimes it's best to share what you know, and sometimes you need to keep it a secret. For example, if you hadn't told me I went back to release you, I never would have released you. Keeping the information to yourself would have been more dangerous than sharing it. Not sharing would have created a paradox." Lilly nodded in understanding. "How do you know about the future, Lilly?" She looked a little nervous. _O.K. This is it_, she thought.

"I saw it on T.V." she said.

"What!" the Doctor turned around to face her, giving her his full attention. "What do you mean?"

"Where I'm from, none of this is real." She waved her hand around the room. "It's all just some T.V. show. You, the Tardis, all of it. You're like this famous SciFi television show. You travel through time and space with Rose Tyler and sometimes Mickey Smith. And no body knows your real name. They just call you the Doctor. So the name of the show is "Doctor Who."" The Doctor just stared at Lilly incredulously with his mouth hanging open and eyebrows high. _Things were going so well, _thought the Doctor._ What happened?_

"Say something," Lilly begged, concern covering her face. The Doctor stilled his features, walked over to Lilly, and gently took her shoulders into his hands.

"Listen to me," he said seriously, "I know that you've been through a lot in the last little while. I know that it might be hard to comprehend, but... this is real. I'm real. The Tardis is real. I don't travel with Rose Tyler, and would never-ever travel with Mickey Smith. I'm traveling with you. And I'm going to get you safely back to the Tardis. I promise." Lilly swallowed hard. The compassion and concern in the Doctor's eyes was overwhelming.

"But..."

"No," said the Doctor firmly but with a gentle voice. Lilly had never seen the Doctor act like this on the show, especially the ninth Doctor. She was stunned. The Doctor stepped back and promptly sonicked her. "No current brain damage," he said softly, "still, the brain is a very delicate thing." He raised his eyebrows. "The Tardis can do a better scan." _This might be harder than I thought_, the Doctor told himself. He paused for a moment in deep thought.

"Right then," he said with new energy, "Let's get us out of here." With a wave of the sonic screwdriver, the control panel began to spark. An alarm sounded.

"This way." The Doctor opened and crawled into a giant air vent. Lilly followed. She was still so stunned at the Doctor's reaction she hadn't said another word.


	3. Chapter 3: Shanoids

After hearing the first half of this chapter, my 16 year old has completely refused to hear anymore. I'm crushed. She says I went too far. After thinking long and hard, I decided to go ahead and post it. I hope you don't hate it.

Chapter 3: Shanoids

The first thing Lilly noticed about crawling through a ventilation shaft was how filthy it was. It definitely wasn't like the pristine shafts shown on T.V. That was another difference between T.V. and reality. Filthy didn't even come close to the word needed to describe her situation. There was about an inch of crusty dust covering every surface in the small crawl-way, more in the corners. With every movement dust fluffed up into the air, and irritated her nose and eyes. It was hard to breathe. Cobwebs hung down from the ceiling, and twice Lilly thought she might have seen some kind of nasty alien arachnid burrowing back into the dust piles when they approached. Only the dim light of a silent sonic screwdriver lit their way, making the area feel eerie. Crawling through the very dark bug infested dirty confines only added to Lilly's apprehension.

"Doctor?" Lilly called softly. The Doctor paused his crawl through the dusty air vent. He sighed.

"We have to be quiet, Lilly," he whispered back to her. "Chlorovork have excellent hearing. Save your questions. All right?"

"All right," whispered Lilly softly, "Sorry." The shock of the Doctor's reaction to her explanation about "Doctor Who" had worn off, and Lilly was starting to think again. He didn't believe her. Why should he? If the roles had been reversed, if he had come to her world with such a crazy story, she never would have believed him. But she had been sure once he knew about her situation he would fix it. He would help her. All of her hope, everything that kept her going was hung on that idea. Lilly began to worry he wouldn't help her? Chances were slim that her family would be here. He would probably drop her off. She would be on her own. She would be on her own on an alien Earth with no family or friends or job or home or money or history. She realized she was trapped in a make-believe world. Then there were the dangers she would face. What about all the rift activity in Cardiff? What about all the things Captain Jack fought off with his torchwood team? What about the Cyberman and Dalek invasion at Canary Wharf? The idea of having her brain cut out of her body and stuffed into a Cyberman's metal suit terrified her. The idea was suddenly so real. At least death by Dalek would be quick. What about the Master and suffering through the year that never was? What about... about...

Lilly felt something crawl across her leg! _What about that_! She paused just long enough to reach back and brush whatever it was away. There was nothing there. A moment later she felt it again. It ran across her foot. Something was crawling up her back. Lilly shivered. She wiggled her back, reached up and grabbed whatever it was as it reached her neck. She squished it between her fingers. She shuttered, brushed her legs again, but didn't dare make a sound. She didn't want the Chlorovork to hear her_. It's just a stupid little bug_, she told herself. _Stupid little bug_. She was sure Chlorovorks would be far worse than bugs.

Twenty minutes later Lilly thought the crawling and bug squishing seemed to go on for an eternity. Lilly's knees started to get sore from crawling. It felt something like carpet burn. Her wrists, not being used to their current position, began to ache. Even her neck was complaining from the unaccustomed angle she had to hold her head in. The physical irritation and discomfort with the emotional turmoil she was fighting was almost too much to bear.

Suddenly the Doctor stopped. He held perfectly still. Lilly followed his example. _Why did we stop? _After a minute she could hear at least two Chlorovork having a heated muffled discussion. She didn't dare breathe. She couldn't tell what they were arguing about, but she guessed it had something to do with her and the Doctor. It sounded like they were getting closer. Then they stopped right underneath them. Lilly could feel more and more bugs climbing onto her. She couldn't brush them off. She couldn't move. She could feel them on her legs, and on her back. She could feel something crawling up the back of her neck into her hair. She took slow shallow quiet breaths. A bug crawled across her ear. She saw something crawl across her hand in the eerie light. It looked like a tiny black scorpion about the size of her fingernail. Its tail was raised up and separated into two separate stingers. In any other situation Lilly would have been screaming. She could feel strands of dust settling on her body.

Lilly couldn't take anymore. She started to cry. Silent tears streaming down her cheeks. Her body trembled with emotion. The tears were tears of frustration, disappointment, physical exhaustion, and fear. Then Lilly was struck by a thought. _This would make a great movie_, she thought to herself. She almost laughed right out loud. Somehow that little bit of humor made the situation better... not alright... just better. She stopped crying.

Finally, the arguing aliens moved on. The Doctor started moving again. Lilly followed.

_It's not so bad_, she told herself. That little bit of humor really had helped her. _At least I'm still alive. I'm not being tortured by a Chlorovork_. She was trying to focus on good thoughts. _That's what they say right. Focus on the good. At least I still have a planet, not like this poor guy. _Lilly looked up at the Doctor's behind. He was suffering every bit as much as she was. But he had never known the nice life she had experienced before she came here. His whole life had been misery and loss. And now, he was alone in the universe. She still had her species. Even if she had lost all of her friends and family, even if she never made it home, she would never be as alone as he was. Somehow, she would figure out what to do.

The Doctor stopped again. Lilly held her breath. She heard the sound of the sonic screwdriver. The Doctor opened the air vent. He slid down through the open hole head first, flipping around to land on his feet. _Impressive_.

"Thirty-seven minute crawl. That's got to be a new record or something. Come on then," he called softly. Lilly poked her head down through the vent hole. She was inside the ceiling, and the drop seemed quite far. "I'll catch you."

Lilly couldn't maneuver her feet towards the hole. The shaft was too small, so she had to go through head first. Lilly felt the same fear she had when she jumped off the high dive at the local swimming pool for the first time as a child. _Please, catch me_, she thought. She pushed herself through the hole, and reached for the Doctor.

The Doctor caught her with ease. He was incredibly strong. But he immediately began frantically brushing off all the strands of dust and alien arachnids covering her body.

"Why didn't you say something!"

"You said to be quiet." The look on his face was one of panic. Lilly noticed the Doctor was covered in a light dusting of dirt, but otherwise seemed fine. She, on the other hand, looked like hell. Her eyes were red and blood shot. Tear tracks were the only clean spot on her thickly coated body. She was covered in webbing that, she just noticed, had obviously been deliberately spun around her as a snare. She looked down at her legs. They were covered with tiny red pin pricks. She suddenly understood the bugs had been eating her. Lilly wanted to scream.

The Doctor quickly sonicked Lilly. Hundreds of tiny black spiders fled from the sound leaving her body. She shuttered and began dancing around, smacking and rubbing everywhere. Too her credit, though, she didn't scream. Even after she was sure all the spiders were gone, Lilly could feel imaginary spiders crawling on her back.

"Don't. Do that. Again," ordered the Doctor. "If you notice something, if you need something, get my attention. Let me know." The Doctor gave her a stern look.

"What were they?!"

"Shanoids." The Doctor's eyes were severe. "You're lucky. Another 15 minutes, and they would have started burrowing..." Lilly's eyes widened. "Never mind," said the Doctor, "This way."

The Doctor led her through a door into the room that held the Tardis, minus the unconscious aliens. Lilly let out a sigh of relief. The Doctor smiled at her. He pulled out his key, and quickly put it in the lock. Then he stopped.

An invisible alien grabbed Lilly from behind. He moved a sharp weapon with precision and skill towards her throat. The Doctor moved faster than Lilly thought possible, leaving his key in the lock. He caught the attackers hand just as the weapon grazed her skin. He bent the aggressor's hand back. Crack! Lilly heard the alien's bones break. The Doctor smacked the heal of his other hand into the attacker's face, while pulling Lilly towards the safety of the Tardis with his now free hand. Lilly could see blood on the enemy's face, but his face was still invisible.

The Doctor moved in one fluid motion. He picked up the alien, and through him towards Lilly. She froze, instinctively closing her eyes. It missed her. The tossed alien hit at least two other invisible bodies right next to her. The Tardis key that had been left in the lock flew out of the mass of imperceptible aliens. One of them must have taken it when the Doctor was busy saving her. Lilly watched as the Doctors hand flew out and caught it.

"Thanks for that," the Doctor said to his opponents with a pleasant voice and a smile. He leaned towards Lilly. "Next time, move out of the way." His voice was kind. He took her by the hand, unlocked the Tardis door, and pulled her into safety. The presence she felt before was pressing up against the back of her skull. Lilly, again, thought it must be the Tardis. The Doctor ran to the console, and sent them off into the vortex. She watched the streams of golden ribbons fill the room. They were twirling and dancing in intricate patterns.

"Right then," said the Doctor, rubbing his hands together, and facing Lilly. "First things first."

"Bathroom," Lilly interrupted him.

"What?"

"Bathroom," Lilly repeated, "Now." After wondering lost through the Tardis looking for a bathroom, and almost an hour crawling through the vents, her need had become an emergency.

"Right," said the Doctor. "Humans," he said under his breath. He quickly led her down a hallway. After only a few minutes, they entered the infirmary.

"This isn't the bathroom," Lilly stated with a desperate sound to her voice.

"Sure it is," the Doctor answered, a confused look on his face. Realization softened his features, and he smiled. "Right there," he nodded forward, "through that door." Lilly looked at one of the small closet doors at the back of the room. The Doctor nodded towards the door again, this time pointing to it as well.

_It was here the whole time! _She ran into the bathroom, and with great appreciation, relieved herself. _Awe._ Lilly had never treasured indoor plumbing so much. She rested with her elbows on her knees and her head on her hands. She closed her eyes. The Doctor knocked.

"Don't be long," the Doctor called, "You've medical issues that need addressing."

"Kay," Lilly looked up, "just a sec." She looked at her legs. Some of the bites were bleeding. She shook her head.

I'm never leaving the Tardis again

, she thought.

An hour later Lilly was sitting on the edge of a hospital bed while the Doctor pulled a shanoid from her leg. She shuttered and smacked an imaginary spider on her back... again.

"Did you kill the Chlorovork who tried to hurt me?" Lilly's question brought the Doctor's attention away from his task. She had been thinking deep thoughts. She had noticed the Doctor seemed more dangerous in real life.

"No, just a bit of a bloody nose, and a sore wrist." He smiled at her. "Wouldn't have done that bit, if I'd more time. Peaceful solution. Much better." He continued to work.

"Were you waiting for that Chlorovork to say I was human before you used your sonic to knock him out?" The Doctor looked at her with surprise. _How did she work that out?_

"Nah. Had to find the right setting on the sonic screwdriver. Over 3000 settings on that tool. Just took a while, that's all." He lied.

"Why did we even go there?

"Wanted to make sure they were alright." It wasn't a complete lie. "Just checking on them." The Doctor thought about saying more. But then he remembered back to the other woman at the pizzeria with Lilly. Maybe the other woman had manipulated Lilly into getting onto his Tardis. Maybe Lilly was completely innocent. She sure seemed that way. With Lilly's time sense, it was probably a good thing she ended up on the Tardis too. But after centuries of travel, and after the war, he wasn't about to let her know he was investigating her. He still didn't have all the facts. Besides, he was checking on the Chlorovork. He was making sure they weren't causing too much trouble.

"Are you lying to me, Doctor." Lilly's tone was almost accusing. The Doctor raised his eyebrows. She was, the Doctor noticed, on the edge of not trusting him. Not good. He was about to lose her. He couldn't let that happen.

"Why would you say that?"

"Rule one. The Doctor lies." The Doctor was surprised. How could she possibly know about his rules? Sensing the future or a temporal disturbance was one thing. Knowing personal information was another. It was rare even among time lords. Only in his eighth body had he been able to do that. She would have to be incredibly powerful. Which made her incredibly dangerous. After a moments hesitation, he answered.

"Only when necessary to prevent a paradox or save lives. Well... sometimes it helps to diffuse a situation. Got to keep the little ones calm. I'm not lying right now." He put a dead Chlorovork into a dish, before returning the tweezers to her leg to look for another one. "Thanks for helping, by the way." He changed the subject. "I was in trouble back there. Would have figured it out eventually. Always do. Usually do. But, thank you for helping, just the same."

"O.K." Lilly was very quiet for several minutes. "Don't lie to me. O.K?" She paused. Again, the Doctor was surprised. "I'm not a little one. I'd rather know and be scared than ignorant. If you promise to be honest with me, I... I promise not to freak out about whatever it is. And I'll promise to be honest with you too."

The Doctor was completely taken aback. That was not what he was expecting. He worked quietly for a moment before responding. Could he trust her? Should he trust her? It had been so long since he had been able to trust anyone. He didn't have all the facts. He wasn't finished figuring her out yet.

He started weighing the gravity of the situation with its rewards. If he promised to be honest with her, she would be honest with him. That would give him better access to the answers he needed, but that promise could also put him at a disadvantage when dealing with her. The wrong decision could cost her her life, or worse. She seemed to know when he was lying. Maybe she was just telepathic or empathic. That wasn't uncommon for time sensitive people. Honesty was something Lilly apparently needed. If he was planning on keeping her on the Tardis, he would probably trust her eventually... maybe. But he didn't trust her now. He didn't know enough. So, the question was, could he be honest with someone he didn't trust? Finally, with something akin to dread, he answered.

"I promise to be as honest as I can with you from now on. But I won't compromise lives." Lilly smiled and relaxed. Somehow, she believed him.

"O.K." she said, "me too. Lying only to save lives." The Doctor smiled. "And prevent paradoxes," she added. He felt himself relax. It had been along time since he'd felt this open with someone. _Strange_. In a way, it was kind of freeing. He truly hoped she turned out to be as trustworthy as she seemed.

The Doctor removed another shanoid with the pair of needle-like tweezers. Lilly shivered. She doubted she would ever feel completely safe again. She tried not to think about it. Just after she had come out of the bathroom, and after some convincing reassurances, and a promise not to leave her side, Lilly had soaked in the mending gel again. It wasn't as frightening the second time, mostly because she knew what was happening. But, apparently, it didn't cure everything. She did feel clean and soft and well rested. Her lungs were dust free. Her eyes were no longer inching and burning. The friction burns on her knees had disappeared. The scratch on her neck from the alien weapon was healed. All the alien bites were gone. She was almost as good as new. But the shanoids that had started to burrow had to be removed by hand.

"Only two more." It didn't hurt. The Doctor had given her something to make sure of that. He was healing up the skin where the spiders had been with a dermal regenerator.

"I thought you would use nano-genes or something." The Doctor glanced up at her face.

"Backwards technology," he smiled, "mending tanks are much better. Dermal regenerator is good for smaller injuries. So, how did you hear about nano-genes?"

"T.V." The Doctor didn't like her answer. He rolled his eyes. He finished removing the last shanoid, and put away his equipment. Lilly rubbed her leg where the little monster had been. She shivered. The Doctor pulled a piece of equipment off of the shelf and wave it over Lilly's head. He studied the Gallifreyan symbols streaming across the monitor at the head of Lilly's bed and scowled.

"Normal," he said, rubbing his hand over his mouth. The Doctor jumped up to sit on the bed across from Lilly. He looked thoughtfully at her for a long moment. She looked back at him.

"The chances of what you are saying to be true are so infinitesimally small, they are almost beyond calculating. And considering who would be doing the calculating, that's saying something." Lilly opened her mouth to object. He raised his hand to cut her off.

"Just shut up a minute. First off, you would have to be from another dimension. And not just a parallel dimension. We're talking a parallel of a parallel of a parallel times a billion, maybe more. Probably more. For you to travel that far would take longer than your human life span. Never mind, that since the war, travel from even one parallel universe to another is impossible. You see there are different dimensions..."

"I know. You don't have to explain how they work." The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "Different dimension for every decision we make. Got it."

"Almost every decision."

"What?"

"Only the decisions that result in the survival of that universe. It's like a different time track..." Lilly leaned in to listen. He closed his mouth. "Never mind. That's off topic." He paused. Lilly sighed.

"The Universe is big and incredible," she tried to use a badly quoted line from the show to get her point across, "And once in a while something amazing happens. Once in a while, there is a miracle. Once in a while, something that is infinitesimally incalculable happens." She stumbled over the words infinitesimally and incalculable, but he got the point. The Doctor smiled at her. He seemed almost proud, like a teacher whose student just came up with something marvelous. "Why can't that be what has happened to me? Why couldn't I be from another dimension where this," she waved her hand around, "is all just some SciFi show?"

"Because it couldn't!" He was momentarily frustrated before calming himself. "For one thing, you're not covered in void stuff." Lilly was surprised. _Not covered in void stuff_? "That's residue from the empty space between dimensions. Any dimensional traveler gets soaked in it. You're clean as a whistle. I checked."

"How is that possible?!"

"Exactly."

"What else could it be, then?"

"It's more likely you're having trouble dealing with situations too far out of what's normal for you."

"I'm not crazy!" Lilly stood up and began pacing in front of him. The Doctor put his hands up.

"I'm being honest," he said, "and you promised not to 'freak out.'" Lilly nodded. She calmed down.

"Sorry," she said, not freaking out.

"Lilly, it's alright. You're only human." She stopped in her tracks and scowled.

"Human. Only human. Was that an insult?" _Relax_, she told herself. She took a deep breath. _He's only time lord_. She smiled at her own joke. But maybe he was right. Was she going crazy? Well, maybe crazy to believe this was all real. This was supposed to be a T.V. show! This had to be an alternate reality. What else could it be? But she wasn't covered in void stuff. The ideas started to spin Lilly's head. Maybe she was still in her universe. Maybe the Doctor was real in her universe, and she had just never known about him. No. If she was still in her universe, then he would've been familiar with the "Doctor Who."

"How do you explain what I knew about the Nestine Consciousness, then?!"

"It's not an insult. And I think you may be time sensitive."

"O.K." Lilly folded her arms. "Explain."

"Very, **very** rarely, some random creature in the universe is able to feel or see time. Usually, it comes across as insanity. But once in a while, the person can make sense of it. I think you may be one of those people... like me." Lilly shook her head. No. This wasn't right. She knew the only reason why she knew about the Nestine Consciousness was because she had watched the show. But if she wasn't covered in void stuff, how could she be from another dimension? It didn't make sense. "I can help you, Lilly. Very good with time, me."

"What if you're wrong? What if I saw all of this on the... what do you call it? ... the telly?" Lilly looked at him. "**What**. **If**." She enunciated. The Doctor nodded in understanding.

"I'm already running scans for cracks and damage in the fabric of the universe. Started them as soon as we left the Chlorovork. Just to be sure. If anything shows up, the Tardis will let me know. I'll fix this, Lilly. I promise I'll help." Lilly let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you," she said. "Thank you, so much." Her eyes showed her emotion. He would help her. He might not believe her yet, but he was looking. And when the Doctor looked, he found. Void stuff or not he would find the answer, and if possible, get her home. She would be O.K.

_She's not listening_, thought the Doctor. _It's too much for her. _Maybe he should take her back to Earth for a visit. Not to her own time and place mind, but something similar. He didn't want her to try to leave. That could get complicated. Maybe he could take her to the 1960's or 2027. She just needed something familiar to ground her, make her feel safe. Then her mind could let go of this fantasy. On the other hand, if she kept reaffirming it with strong emotion, he may never be able to bring her back to reality. She could literally go mad. Non-Gallifreyan time sensitive individuals were already prone to madness. This was a very tricky situation. He'd have to create a situation where she chose to ignore her delusion, and emotionally reconnected with reality.

He stood up, and silently began leading the way to the wardrobe room. Lilly didn't know where he was going. But she didn't want to get lost again, so she struggled to keep up. Finally, she reached out and took the Doctor's hand. He paused and looked down at their hands, surprised.

"Sorry. I'm getting your attention, just like you said. I don't want to get lost or left behind." He nodded, and continued leading the way at a slower pace, still running ideas through his head.

"Can I ask you a favor?" said the Doctor.

"Yeah, sure." Lilly was still smiling from the relief of possibly finding a way home. "Anything."

"Two favors, actually."

"O.K."

"Keep an open mind."

"O.K. That's easy. What else?"

"For the next few days. Pretend this," he waved his hand around, "is all real. Pretend you've not seen it on the... T.V." He nodded at the use of the American word. "Pretend I'm right. Because, if I'm right, and I usually am, it could stop you from going insane." His face was full of concern. He was being honest. Lilly knew he was wrong, but she couldn't refuse him. Pretending for a few days wouldn't hurt. She nodded.

"Al... alright. I can do that. But I'm just pretending, so it's not a lie."

"One rule," he added. "Just one. Most important rule in the universe for you. No fortune telling."

"What do you mean?"

"Unless someone's life is in immediate danger, don't give out future information. Future knowledge can be dangerous." _Great_, thought Lilly sarcastically, _I have to play dumb_. It felt like lying already. A worried expression crossed her face, and the Doctor saw it.

"I know how time works. You don't." She looked up at him. "But, I'll teach you." Lilly was shocked. That was quite the offer. "Then you'll know when it's safe to share, and when it's not." She hesitated.

"I really appreciate the offer. And I don't want to offend you. But I don't think I'll be here that long. If you don't find a way for me to go home, I'll probably just find a somewhere to live on this Earth... once my arm is finished healing.." The Doctor grimaced. Lilly realized what she had just done. "Sorry," she said. "I appreciate the offer," she tried again, " but once my arm's all better, I'll just have you drop me off at home." He smiled at her. She was pretending for him." "Besides," she added, "it's not like I know everything... just... pieces here and there."

"Good," he said simply. "Good. The less you know the better."

"Why?"

"Knowing the future can be a curse. Especially if you know too much._" Might not be able to save you, if you know too much_, thought the Doctor. Like ghost stories on earth the stories of non-gallifreyan time sensitive people going insane and the destruction they caused were frightening... even to him. He shook his head, and refused to think about 'final action'. He wouldn't wish that on a dalek... well, maybe a dalek.

She would've explained she only knew what she had seen on T.V. But she knew that wouldn't work. He wouldn't believe her. And once she was back home, or situated on this alien Earth, what she had seen on the show wouldn't really matter. She would definitely stay away from Cardiff though. With some regret she thought about all the things she could warn the Doctor about. What kind of heartaches could he avoid?

The Doctor was grateful he had told her she had to stay until the cast was finished healing her arm. That little fib would keep her with him for a while. But he needed to find another way to get her to stay. And after his promise, he wouldn't lie to her again. _That was a stupid promise to make_, he thought. _Stupid ape, me. _But what choice did he have at the time. He would have lost her in that moment, if he hadn't promised her his honesty. He still needed answers from her, but that had to wait until her concept of reality stabilized. She wasn't ready.

Lilly was still thinking of the Doctor's future heartaches.

"Just out of curiosity... What if I knew something that could save lives in the future? Like, far into the future. What should I do then?"

"I'd have to know exactly what it was to answer. Or," he paused, "you would need some training, tutelage, schooling, education. Even a little training would help." Lilly nodded absentmindedly. The Doctor smiled. Maybe the offer of education would work yet. Humans were naturally curious creatures... usually to a fault. He knew his training at the academy had lasted well over a century. There was no way Lilly could learn the complexities of time with her inferior human mind and short life span. But learning from him would keep her on the Tardis for a life time, where he could make sure she didn't cause any damage. Time lines would be safe, she would be safe, and she would have a fantastic life. _Final option averted_. _This might work_, he thought. _Easy_. The Doctor's smile grew bigger. He would let this offer play out.

_But what about her current mental state? _he asked himself. What else could he do to save her sanity? Maybe he should think about getting another companion, someone from her time. Yes. He could get her a friend, someone to show her how to react to time travel. _Monkey see, monkey do. _The Doctor laughed to himself. _Stupid apes_, he thought amicably with a smile. A friend from Earth could ground her without trapping him on one planet for long periods of time. _That might be a mistake though. She could fall in love, and want to leave. _Not Good. He'd have to get a girl. Who? Who? Who could he get? _Sara Jane Smith_. Sara would be a good choice. She handled travel well for a human from her time. But, no. She had been with the Doctor long enough to claim him and the Tardis as her territory. Women of any species, he'd noticed, tended to be territorial_. _But human women were impressively so. There would be fighting and... domestics. Ug. No. Sara wouldn't work. And if Sara Jane Smith wouldn't work, nobody would. She was one the best companions he had ever traveled with. _No_, he thought, _It's decided. No other companions. Taking on another companion would just complicate things right now_. As if reading his mind, Lilly spoke up.

"Rose should be here."

"I asked her. She said no."

"You had to ask her twice on the sh..." Lilly pressed her lips together. "I mean." She put fingertips from her free hand to her temples, and with a dramatic voice pretended. "With my great and powerful time sight..." She felt silly, and giggled.

"Time sight?" The Doctor raised his eyebrows and laughed.

"I see that she would come, if she knew you could travel in time." Lilly was still using her dramatic voice. She laughed again. The Doctor shook his head.

"Is that you pretending?"

"Sort of."

"Humans." He smirked at her. "I asked. She said no. End of story." But then he became serious. He stopped walking, and turned to face Lilly. He took her by the shoulders, and looked directly into her eyes, searching.

"Lilly, were you fortune telling." He was upset. "Were you trying to tell me MY future?" She swallowed. She hadn't even realized she'd let something about the show slip out. She'd just been visiting.

"Sorry. Oh, I'm so so sorry," She apologized mournfully looking at the floor. She couldn't meet his gaze. "I... I didn't even think. It just came out." And she was sorry, really sorry. Lilly suddenly understood she would have to be on guard with everything she said from now on. The last thing she wanted to do was accidently create a paradox.

"I don't know if I can do this," she said out loud. She looked up at him. The Doctor looked at her like he was studying a rare specimen, like he was making a pivotal decision. Lilly was a bit concerned. His silence and strong stare was making her very nervous. After a long minute the Doctor released her shoulders, stepped back, but held her gaze.

"Is it life or death?" The question startled Lilly. His serious look caused her to take a moment to think. She remembered how her presence had changed what happened with the Nestine Consciousness. What if her presence here changed Rose's traveling with the Doctor? Lilly knew there was no way she could take Rose's place. The Doctor needed Rose. Loved Rose. And if this was all real, which it was, then all the universes could be in danger without her. Rose saved the Doctor on Satellite 5. No other human could do what she did. The vortex energy she held throughout her trip in the Tardis, and the destruction of the Dalek army had killed a time lord after only moments of exposure. If it killed a time lord, what should it have done to a human? Rose was special. No one could take her place. If she wasn't there to save him on Satellite 5, then the Doctor (well, the Doctor Donna) would never exist to stop Davros from erasing every dimension with his reality gun. Her own family and friends could die. Her whole world, her whole universe could cease to exist. Rose had to come. And if Lilly's presence here was affecting Rose's time line, she needed to correct it. The Doctor needed to know, but she was worried about his warning.

"Yes," answered Lilly, "It's life or death."

"Is it immediate."

"No." The Doctor ran a hand over his face, and turned to the side. After a moment, he faced her again.

"Tell me," he paused holding up a hand to tell her to stop. He knew how dangerous it was to ask about his future. "Tell me in as few words as you can. And give me as little detail as possible." Lilly swallowed again, choosing her words.

"If she doesn't come, you die. If you die, the universe dies too." _There_, thought Lilly. _That was simple_.

"Nicely done. Right then," said the Doctor. "Guess I should go get her. You O.K. with that?" He was still a little concerned about territorial disputes on his ship.

"Yeah. Rose is great." She was surprised he wanted her opinion. It was his ship after all. The Doctor nodded at her answer.

Good

, he thought,_ no territorial disputes. Keep domestics to a minimum. Maybe this is just what Lilly needs. Another human. Rose was good... really good. Keep the universe safe at the same time, apparently._

"You sure she'll come?" He almost seemed nervous. _Nervous?_

"In the sh... from what I've seen, yeah. You just say that you travel in time too. You stand out of the way, and she comes running."

"Running?!" The Doctors eyebrows shot up and a giant grin grew on his face. "Fantastic." Lilly couldn't help but smile back at him. He seemed so excited, like a kid in a candy store. He pointed down the hallway. "Straight down this passageway. Twenty three doors down on the left. Second door on the right. Follow the staircase up two flights. Take the left hallway. Third door on the left. Can't miss it."

"Where am I going?"

"Wardrobe room." He started walking backward as he spoke. "Get dressed. I'll meet you back in the console room when your done." With that, he turned around and sprinted. "Remember shoes," he called out. And before Lilly could think to ask him to repeat his instructions, he was gone.

"Oh crap." She looked down the endless hallway. "Tardis help me." Lilly shivered and smacked an imaginary bug on her back. "I'm so ready to go home."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Baby Steps

"Nineteen, twenty, twenty-one," Lilly counted the doors in the corridor. "Twenty-three." She stopped. _Was it twenty-three doors down? Or was it... _She opened the door. It led into another hallway. _Oh, I hope this is the right way_. Lilly couldn't remember the instructions after that. She only knew she was looking for stairs. She opened the first door.

It was some kind of storage closet. Shelves and shelves of boxes and equipment went on for as far as she could see. It was like looking into someone's garage or storage room, but it didn't have an end to it. The sight was disconcerting, and made Lilly feel a little afraid. _It's so alien_, she thought. She closed the door, and moved on to the next one.

_I'm on an alien ship looking for a wardrobe_. It felt surreal. The hallways resemble the architecture of the console room. There were coral struts about every ten feet imbedded into the walls stretching high into the arched ceiling. The dark coloring and soft light made Lilly feel like she was walking through a cavern, but the high ceilings made her feel like she was also in a cathedral. The corridors were wide enough to drive a car through. The hum of the ship wasn't lonely like it had been when Lilly first woke up alone in the med. bay. The place no longer felt like an empty department store. It did however, feel... alien. Yes, alien. That was the only word that fit. _I don't think I'll ever get use to this_.

_Stairs!_ Behind the second door were stairs leading straight out in front of her. Lilly smiled. She'd found it! The staircase was about eight feet wide and surrounded by walls on each side. About twelve feet up on each wall coral struts grew out to form a crisscross pattern with their branches on the ceiling. Lilly caressed the nearest wall. _The Tardis is amazing_, she thought. _So beautiful_.

Taking her eyes off the wall, she looked up at the stairs again, this time with hesitation. Her smile slipped. _Stairs_, she thought again. The stair case, she realized, seemed to go on forever. She couldn't see the top of it. And it was only the first flight! This would be a major workout. _Doesn't the Tardis do anything small_? she complained to herself. After a moment's more indecision, she took her first step. _Might as well get started_.

Lilly reached the top of the first flight of stairs, out of breath, thighs burning. _Oh_, she wasn't used to this. She held onto the rail, and paused for a break, before looking up to the next flight of stairs. _Ohhh_, she groaned inwardly.

Suddenly, the floor beneath her jolted. Lilly held tight to the rail. She saw the same golden streams of ribbons from the console room creep across the ceiling. _We must be moving_, thought Lilly. She started on the next flight of stairs, being careful to hold onto the railing. She didn't want to be caught off guard by a bumpy landing when the Tardis arrived.

Lilly could finally see the top of the second staircase. _Almost there_, she spurred herself on. _Almost there_. She half dragged herself up one stair at a time. When she reached the top, she dropped to her knees, breathing heavy.

"I did it," she shouted, "I did it," like it was some grand accomplishment. "Oh, my legs." Lilly massaged her thighs for a moment before forcing herself to her feet. She leaned against the wall before moving on. The Tardis shuttered, and the golden ribbons receded.

_Guess we've arrived. Bet he's asking Rose to come right now_.

Lilly quickly found herself at a crossroads. She couldn't go forward. Her choices were between left and right. _Which way was it?! _With some hesitation she turned right, and began walking. But after just a few steps, something inside of her told her this was wrong.She turned around. The other hallway was well lit, and the uneasy feeling she'd felt a moment ago was gone. She began opening doors along the way, feeling her sore legs as she went. _I have to be getting close by now_. Finally, she found it.

The room was enormous. Levels and levels of racks of clothes filled the room. _This can't be real_. It was like nothing Lilly had ever seen.

"How do I even get started?" she asked herself in wonder. Then she saw the stairs. "Oh, no. I just... I can't." The spirals and spirals of several different staircases made the last group of stairs look like a walk in the park. She dreaded the idea of having to endure more stairs. And to hunt through all of that could take all day.

The Tardis shuttered. Lilly looked up for the ribbons. There they were. _Moving again_, she thought. _I hope Rose still said yes_. She turned her attention back to her dreaded "shopping" trip.

"I just want some shoes," she whined a bit. Instantly, a hologram of shoes appeared in front of her. Lilly was taken aback. _ ... That's weird_. An idea struck her.

"I want shoes that are perfect for me to run in." The hologram changed showing a huge selection of running shoes. "I'd like to try those ones." She pointed to a simple pair of black shoes. In the distance a small area lit up brighter than the rest of the wardrobe. "They must be over there."

Luckily, the shoes were on the first level. Lilly tried them on. They were amazing. The fit was perfect... better than perfect. She had never worn a pair of shoes as comfortable as these. _Wow!_ She almost hated to take them off, but she wasn't wearing socks. And she didn't want to ruin them.

The Tardis shuttered mildly and the golden light retracted. On the show, a trip through time seemed almost instant. But in actuality, the further away a time period was the longer it took to get there. Ironic that time travel took time. If Lilly remembered correctly, Rose and the Doctor had gone to several different time periods before the Doctor decided on Platform One. Again the Tardis shuttered, and golden strands crawled across the ceiling.

_Yeah, Rose is here_, she thought. Lilly smiled. _I really like Rose._ Lilly looked back to the daunting task of finding clothes. _This is ridiculous_, she thought, _There's got to be an easier way._

"Uh...thank you for the shoes. They're perfect. The best I've ever had. Could you... I mean." Lilly was feeling a bit awkward. "You did such a great job on the shoes. Could you, please, just pick out a whole outfit?"

An area lit up. Lilly had to take the stairs, but it wasn't that far. She took it slow. When she arrived, she was amazed to see a large section of racks filled with all kinds of styles of clothing. Everything there was in her size. Everything there would fit her as perfectly as the shoes did. She had no doubt. She sighed in relief. She smiled. Lilly grabbed a simple pair of jeans, a pleasant looking top, a comfy hooded jacket, and all the odds and ends she thought she might need. Moments later she was fully dressed, and heading back the way she'd come. Maybe 'shopping' on the Tardis wasn't so bad.

"Uh... Thank you," she called out as she left the wardrobe room. The Tardis shook again gently, and the golden light disappeared.

When she reached the stairway, Lilly shook her head. Because her legs were so sore, she had been walking slowly. She didn't think she could handle going down the stairs. _You'd think he would have elevators or something. _She sighed_. Even a slide would work_. She reached for the metal railing on the wall, and paused. A smile graced her lips. She had an idea. Lilly climbed up to sit on the handrail, leaning her back against the wall.

"What's the point of being all grown up, if you can't be childish once in a while?" Lilly quoted the fourth doctor, and started to slide. She started to slide down the railing controlling her speed by adjusting her grip. It wasn't as comfortable as she thought it would be, but at least she didn't have to deal with anymore stairs. She finally reached the hallway, and began walking. The Tardis started moving again. Lilly looked up to see the dazzling ribbons dance overhead. It was prettiest in the console room, but they were still impressive on the passageway ceiling.

Finally, Lilly made it back to where the Doctor had left her. She sat on the floor to take a breather. _I always thought I was in great shape, _she thought_. This is ridiculous_. Lilly lay down on the cool tile floor. After a few minutes, she pulled herself up to a standing position, and started retracing her way back to the med bay. She was surprised she could find her way back to the infirmary from there, because she'd been quite distracted with her thoughts when she'd walked with the Doctor.

Now, leaning against the wall just outside the infirmary doors, she didn't know what to do. She might be able to find her way to the console room using the same route she'd found before the Chlorovork situation. Lilly smacked an imaginary spider on her leg. But that route had taken her a very long time, and the Doctor's route from the console room to the infirmary upon their return had only taken minutes.

What do I do?

The Tardis started its landing. Lilly looked up at the lights on the ceiling. Her face lit up. As the ribbons of light started to recede, Lilly broke into a run. She was following them. It seemed like the Tardis was taking longer to materialize than usual, but Lilly was still having trouble keeping up with the ribbons. She bolted around corners and down hallways as fast as she could push her still burning sore legs. Finally, the ribbons were gone, and Lilly again didn't know where to go. She bent over, resting her hands on her knees, gasping for air. _If I ever get home_, she thought, _I'll be in the best shape of my life! _Lilly took off her jacket, and tied it around her waist. She was too hot from all the running.

"That was weird," the Doctor said. She heard the Doctor's voice. "It was almost like she didn't want to land." Lilly immediately followed the sound. "Anyway. Here we are."

"Where are we?" Rose asked him. Lilly could hear Rose's excitement. "What's out there?" Rose asked excitedly. Lilly heard the Tardis door squeak closed just as she entered the console room. The Doctor looked up from his console to see Lilly.

"Took you long enough," he said. She gave him a surprised look. She thought she was pretty fast, considering. "I see you found some shoes." Lilly glanced down at her comfy runners.

"Yeah, I just asked for what I wanted. And the Tardis showed me where it was." She stood a little taller when she spoke.

"Audio filing program," the Doctor explained. "Installed it a while back. Keeps track. Makes everything easier to find. But it's not the Tardis. Separate program."

_So I wasn't talking to the Tardis._ Lilly felt a little embarrassed. She had assumed the Tardis was communicating with her. _That was presumptuous_, she thought. She remembered the conversation eleven had with Idris. The Tardis had referred to his companions as "bringing home strays." Lilly was a little disappointed, and put in her place. _Only a stray_, she told herself. Why would the Tardis, an eleventh dimensional sentient creature capable of traveling through reality itself, waste her time helping Lilly find something to wear?

_Sorry_, she thought. _I didn't mean to be rude_. The Tardis made no reply. But then, Lilly hadn't expected her too. The Doctor suddenly glanced up at the time rotor with a puzzled look on his face. _Was he communicating with the Tardis?_ wondered Lilly. He flipped a switch, and stepped around the console towards her.

"You were right." He change the subject. "She came. Rose's right outside those doors." He added with a grin and a hop in his step. He was so happy. Lilly smiled. The Doctor's joy was infectious. "Come on then." He extended his arm, inviting her to join him.

"Oh," Lilly hesitated, "Oh no. You go ahead. I'll... I'll just wait here."

"What?" He looked surprised.

"No, really. I don't want to." Lilly remembered all the trouble Cassandra would cause. After everything else she had just seen, she didn't want anymore. Besides, she'd promised herself she'd never leave the Tardis again. Lilly smacked an imaginary shanoid on her arm. The Doctor glanced at where she had smacked. He let his arm drop along with his smile.

"You're scared," he stated. She glanced at the doors and trembled a bit.

"Yeah," her voice broke. "Yeah, I am," she nodded. He put his hands in his jacket pockets and looked at the floor. When he looked up at her again there was understanding in his eyes.

"Lilly, you can't stop living because something bad happened. If you try, you'll just miss out on all the good that would have happened too." He smiled softly at her. She couldn't let go of his gaze.

"But I know what's going to happen," she said. The corners of her mouth quivered down.

"Then you can help."

"I could just tell you." The Doctor shook his head.

"You don't know enough about time to know what's safe to share. And trust me, a paradox is not something you want to see."

"Then how can I help, if I can't share."

"As few words as possible, and only to prevent immediate death. It's a good rule for a beginner."

"But I told you about Rose. That wasn't immediate death, and that's O.K."

"That was my decision. And I'm NOT a beginner. Trust me."

"I'm not even supposed to be here. My presence is changing what's supposed to happen. I shouldn't be interfering."

The Doctor thought of his people, sitting on Gallifrey in all their pomp and glory, refusing to help, refusing to get involved. Always to watch. Never to interfere. He'd never agreed with their policy. In the end, it was that policy that had put the universe at risk. Oh, they would help themselves, but never anyone else. They were the ultimate users. They'd realized their mistake too late. By the time the time lords finally got involved, their fate was already sealed. A flash of grief crossed the Doctor's face. He knew noninterference didn't work. His people were so afraid of dying, they'd missed out on living. Lilly was making the same mistake.

"Time is always changing," he explained. "And who says what's 'supposed' to happen. It is what it is. Aside from a few fix points, time is fluid. It moves around us, through us, constantly changing. As time travelers, we can influence it. Make things better. Help. Helping is good." Lilly was quiet for a moment.

"I'm no hero." She looked at him wishing he could understand. "I'm not like Rose or you. I... I get so scared. You've seen me. I can't even stop shaking. I just want a nice quiet life."

"Me too." Lilly was surprised. "But there is a difference between a nice life and a boring one."

"But boring is safe." Romana thought like Lilly once. Romana. Yes. Lilly did remind him of her. He'd helped her see the beauty of the universe, and she'd become one of his dearest friends. That was such a long time ago. She was gone now. Gone with Gallifrey.

"So, what you're saying is, it's better to live a life devoid of anything good than risk experiencing something bad?" The Doctor paused wishing she could just understand.

"No. It's just..."

"What?" Lilly was quiet.

"What?" the Doctor repeated. "Go on. I'm listening." He half smiled smugly. He knew he'd gotten Lilly to think. Maybe he'd even won this argument. Is that what this was? Were they arguing?

"It's just so awful out there. Who thinks, 'Hey, maybe crawling through some spiders would be fun today.' It's insane. How many times do you have to get burned before you figure out something's hot." The Doctor flinched at her mention of the spiders. That was his fault.

"The universe is full of dark and evil and terrible things." Lilly felt herself recoil at his words. "I'm being honest with you... like you asked. So believe me when I say it's also full of bright and exquisite and wonderful treasures that need to be found and shared to be enjoyed. Most of creation **is** rather pleasant." He paused, checking her involuntary body language. Satisfied, he continued. "You haven't seen any of the good yet. Let me show you." He took his hands out of his pockets and extended his hand towards her, inviting her once more. "Let me prove to you that the treasures of the universe are worth the risks." His eyes were wide focused on Lilly. It felt like he was looking into her soul. "Don't miss out on all that could be, because of something that has been. I promise I'll get you back to the Tardis when we're finished. Safe and sound." He emphasized the word safe. Lilly still didn't take his hand. "Ten minutes," he begged. "Just give me ten minutes."

"O... O.K." she nodded tentatively,"Ten minutes." She still didn't want to go out there, but the Doctor was so convincing... even with what she knew. It was hard to refuse him. _Besides_, she thought, _the trouble didn't start until long after ten minutes_. And she would be very careful not to alter events.

The Doctor, on the other hand, was blaming himself for the terror he saw in Lilly's eyes. He had done this to her. She was young. He hadn't made her feel safe enough. He hadn't believed her when she needed believing at the London Eye. He hadn't watched her closely enough in the air vent. He'd even accidently left her, a 21st century human, to wake up alone in a mending bed when he hadn't made it back from the Chlorovorks in time. She must have been terrified. And now she was so afraid she didn't want to step outside his front door.

The Doctor remembered how excited Lilly was when she first stepped onto his Tardis. She had said it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. She had run smiling hand in hand with him and Rose towards the Nestine Consciousness. She'd had no fear when he'd released her from the railing. Instead Lilly bolted towards the danger, risking her life and saving his. Many other examples of her bravery, curiosity, and kindness came to the Doctor's mind. She had changed from the excited, smiling, brave woman who'd saved his life into this traumatized child. He had ruined her. That was the only explanation. No other factors had changed in her environment... just him.

How would she ever choose to stay with him when she thought the universe was so horrific? Worse. What measures would he have to take if she refused stay? And now, he had ten minutes to fix this... ten minutes to show her the treasures of the universe were worth the terrors. _Blimey_. He'd never worked so hard to keep a companion. And he didn't even trust her yet.

Well, maybe he was starting to trust her. He had just listed several of her worthy attributes. And she did seem genuine. He could almost feel the emotions rolling off of her. She was so agitated. A human couldn't fake that. She was being honest, he knew. Lilly took his hand, and he led her out the door.

"Lilly!" Rose called excitedly. "Look at you." Rose took a moment to notice how much better Lilly looked. From her point of few, Lilly had been terribly hurt only a few minutes ago. "He fixed you up then?" Lilly let go of the Doctor to give Rose a hug. It felt so good to do something normal again.

"Oh, Rose," Lilly almost broke down. Somehow, Rose felt like a long lost friend. The Doctor smiled before turning to use the controls on the wall next to the Tardis.

"Are you alright?" Rose asked with a concerned voice. Lilly thought of how Mickey had clung to Rose, how he had been so overwhelmed, so frightened. When Lilly had watched movies in the past, she'd often shaken her head at the half-wit supporting characters who were too scared to do what needed to be done. Her dad would always boast about what he would do in a situation like that. Lilly was quickly learning that watching and boasting were very different than living through a situation. It wasn't funny anymore that Mickey had been so frightened of the Nestine Consciousness. A moment ago Lilly had been so scared she'd refused to leave the Tardis. _I'm just like Mickey, _she thought, _Worse. He didn't know we were supposed to survive. I did. _Even though she still felt justified in wanting to stay in the Tardis, Lilly rapidly found a new appreciation for Mickey. He didn't deserve to be picked on. And then there was Rose. She was so brave, so smart, and so compassionate. Nothing would ever faze her. Well, nothing except losing the Doctor.

"Just good to see you," Lilly smiled at her new hero. "It's been a while."

"How...How long's it been?" Rose asked. Lilly looked back at the Doctor.

"Twenty-one hours, thirty-eight minutes, seventeen seconds between the time the Tardis left you in London until we came back," answered the Doctor. Rose was surprised. "Time travel," explained the Doctor.

"Feels like a life time," added Lilly.

"And most of that time you were sleeping," the Doctor added. "Why you humans choose to waste a third of your lives sleeping is beyond me."

"Twenty-one hours. How come I'm not starving?" Lilly asked.

"Mending gel. Provides perfect nutrition. You've been well fed." The Doctor pointed to the window behind the girls. They turned to see a view of the Earth. Lilly took in a sharp breath. The three of them meandered down the stairs up to the window. Lilly never took her eyes off the planet.

She was in space... really in space. And the earth was hanging there... RIGHT THERE. It was glorious. She placed her hands and forehead on the glass. The colors were vibrant. She could see the clouds swirling and moving across the atmosphere. The planet reflected the sun's light, giving it the illusion of almost glowing.

"I wish my family could see this," she said. "It's almost as wonderful as the Tardis." She stared out into space with something like reverent awe. Better than any movie, better than any sunset, it was overwhelming. Lilly suddenly understood a little bit of what the Doctor must have sacrificed when he destroyed his world. Tears came to her eyes for him. _That poor man_. Somehow, he seemed less like a fictional character. He was just a man... a very lonely man.

"It's beautiful," said Rose. "My mum could never handle this."

"Oh, my mom could. She and my dad love Scifi stuff. They'd think they'd died and gone to heaven." The Doctor smiled.

"You lot. You spend all your time thinking about dying, like you're going to get killed by eggs or beef or global warming or asteroids. But you never take the time to imagine the impossible... like maybe you survive. This is the year 5.5/apple/26. Five billion years in your future. And this is the day... hold on." The Doctor paused for effect. He looked at his watch.

"This is the day the Earth dies," Lilly finished in a whispered sad voice.

"Oi," the Doctor turned to her. "No fortune telling. I mean it." She was hit with a stab of fear. _Oh, crap!_ She'd just let something slip! Again! Lilly looked at the Doctor. His face was serious.

"Sorry." She took a staggered breath.

"Just be careful," answered the Doctor. Lilly nodded. _My mouth could get someone killed_, she thought. She'd never realized how much it was in her nature to talk. She pressed her lips together. _I'll shut up now. _She turned back to look at the Earth_. It's so beautiful, but I shouldn't have come. I should just get back into the Tardis until_..." As if sensing Lilly's inner turmoil the Doctor spoke up again.

"Now, don't be like that. Just be more careful. And it'll be fine. Promise." The Doctor wasn't worried about the little slip ups that were bound to happen when dealing with someone who knew the future. Body language, unexpected gasps, the occasional whispered remark, he'd expected it. What he was worried about were major mistakes. Intentionally sharing information or accidentally telling someone their future could have disastrous consequences. He was trying to make Lilly more aware of what she was sharing. If she could learn to shut up about the little stuff, he'd never have to worry about her sharing the big stuff. He would never have to clean up a time crisis on his own, and he would never have to censure her. "Besides, I've still got eight of my ten minutes left."

"I... I promise. It won't happen again." Lilly was very serious. She wasn't about to say another word about the future. No more slip ups. Rose noticed how agitated Lilly seemed. Then she turned to the Doctor.

"How do you mean the Earth dies?" asked Rose.

"This is the day the sun expands," the Doctor explained. Suddenly the sun grew in size lighting up the entire region of space drawing the girls' attention. "Come on," said the Doctor. He bounded up the stairs and quickly left the room. Rose and Lilly looked at each other in surprise. They scampered up the stairs and followed him.

The Doctor didn't say much as they meandered through the alien corridors. Lilly was looking up at the glass covered vaulted sealing. Just walking down the hallways was an impressive experience. She was surprised she could see stars through the glass.

"So, fortune telling?" asked Rose. "Is that like how you knew what would happen with the Nestine Consciousness?" Lilly was a little afraid to answer. If it was so dangerous to give out future information, why wasn't the Doctor intervening? What if she let something slip? What if this conversation changed events? But she couldn't just ignore Rose. What should she say.

O.K. Think this through. As few words as possible. That's what the Doctor said.

But he'd been talking about immediate death. Would the rule apply here? Rose silently watch Lilly's inner struggle. "I know the future." She finally answered.

"How do you mean?" The Doctor was listening as he unlocked a door.

"I just... I know what's going to happen."

"What... like everything."

"No. Just... tid bits."

"Tid bits," Rose repeated.

"Yeah."

"Do you know what's going to happen to me? My life." Lilly paused for the Doctor to interrupt the conversation. What was he waiting for?! Surely he knew this was dangerous. Lilly didn't want to lie. She didn't want to do anymore 'fortune telling.' But she didn't want to brush off Rose. Suddenly Lilly remembered emergency program one, and smiled.

"You're going to have a fantastic life," said Lilly, "And that's all I can say." Rose smiled at Lilly's answer.

"Why can't you say more?" asked Rose.

"I don't want to change events," Lilly explained. "Wouldn't want to accidently stop your fantastic life from happening." Rose nodded. It was enough. The Doctor smiled to himself.

There is hope yet

, he thought.

Rose shifted her focus back to the Doctor, and began peppering him with all kinds of questions. He was telling Rose about aliens being people, the rich gathering to watch the planet burn, the continents being shifted back on the Earth below, and quite a few little facts that weren't in the episode's dialogue as they entered the main room. _Probably didn't have time to fit it all in the episode,_ thought Lilly.

Lilly stared out the giant window. The view was spectacular. She could see the moon off in the distance.

She smiled to herself. She had handled Rose's question well. Maybe she could handle being around the Doctor while he found her a way home.

"How long's it got?"

"About half an hour. Then the planet gets roasted."

"Is that why we're here? I mean... Is that what you do? Jump in at the last minute and save the Earth?" Rose grinned.

"I'm not savin' it." Her smile dropped. "Time's up."

"But what about the people?"

"It's empty. All gone. All left."

"Just us then." Rose looked at Lilly. In that moment Lilly felt very much alone in an empty universe. Even though Rose was human, she wasn't from the place Lilly remembered as home. Rose was a fictional character, and Lilly didn't belong here.

"Who the hell are you!" Lilly, startled, looked up at the steward. The first thing she noticed was the blue. His skin was blue, so blue. Even his tiny little wrinkles were blue.

"Oh, that's nice. Thanks," answered the Doctor. Lilly began to stare.

"But how did you get in. This is a maximum hospitality zone. The guests have disembarked. They're on their way any second now." The jewel in the middle of the steward's forehead was a shade of blue Lilly had never seen before. Her mouth began to gape while she stared at the blue jewel. It was blue, but it wasn't blue. It was almost like a completely different color, like how dark purple can resemble navy blue. The steward moved his head to the side, and the light in the room hit his face from a new angle. Wait! It **was** a new color. The gem in the middle of the alien's forehead was a completely new color. Lilly was astonished. _How is this even possible?_

"No, that's me. I'm a guest. See, I've got an invitation." The Doctor showed his psychic paper, but Lilly didn't take notice. She was too busy staring at the new color of blue. "Look. There. You see? It's fine. The Doctor, and friends. See? Rose Tyler, and Lilly Brooks. They're my friends. Is that alright?"

"Well, obviously." The steward calmed himself. "Apologies, etcetera. If your on board, we'd better start. Enjoy." The steward walked away.

"The paper's slightly psychic," explained the Doctor. "It shows them whatever I want them to see. Saves a lot of time." Rose was watching the Doctor, but Lilly never took her eyes off of the steward.

"He's blue," Lilly and Rose said at the same time.

"Yeah," nodded the Doctor. But Lilly immediately covered her mouth. Had she done it again?! Had she let something slip. No. She hadn't been quoting the show. Her statement came from her reaction to all that... that blue. The Doctor gave her a pointed look.

"That wasn't fortune telling," she defended herself.

"You sure?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Cause I'm serious about that rule."

"I know how serious it is. I get it. I'm not breaking the rule, and I'm not lying. We have a deal, and I'm not breaking it." Lilly's voice stressed her understanding.

"Alright then," said the Doctor a smile instantly returning to his face. Lilly wondered, after seeing how quickly his face changed emotions, if maybe he spoke body language like he did so many other languages. She vaguely recalled an episode of 'classic who' where the Doctor spoke of a planet where everyone communicated by moving their eyebrows. He'd bragged that he was quite fluent in eyebrow wiggling. Lilly stared at the Doctor's eyebrows, a questioning look pasted across her face.

Rose had watched the interaction between Lilly and the Doctor with interest. Lilly seemed almost afraid, she noted. Was Lilly afraid of the Doctor? Or was something else bothering her? Rose furrowed her brows. Lilly had been so brave when she'd slid across the landing and saved the Doctor. What could make someone like that so scared?

Before Rose could continue with her thoughts, the alien guests began to arrive. The trio could hear them coming down the hallway.

"Ten minutes is up," said the Doctor. "Do you want to go back to the Tardis?" Lilly paused.

_Do I want to go back to the Tardis? _She had been completely blown away just from seeing the steward. She'd seen a new color of blue! And all the other aliens were about to come through that door. What other things would she get to see, if she stayed? And the trouble still wouldn't start just yet. She was still safe. She would have plenty of time to get back to the Tardis, and not cause any interference with what was supposed to happen.

"Maybe," Lilly said sounding unsure. "Maybe I could stay for a just a bit longer," she added almost like a question. The Doctor's eyebrows raised in mock surprise.Lilly glanced up at them, still wondering about eyebrow wiggling. "But only a bit longer," she amended her statement.

"Oh, of course," nodded the Doctor. _Humans, _he thought to himself_, Curious to a fault_._ That was way too easy_. He smiled. Maybe she wasn't as ruined as he'd previously thought. And if all she needed was ten minutes to rekindle the excited curiosity he'd seen in her only hours ago, maybe she could be more than just his... Prisoner? Eh. No. That word had cruel connotations. Obligation? No. He wasn't being forced to let her live. According to time lord law, he would be completely justified in removing a dangerous time sensitive creature from the time stream. Technically, with no access to Gallifrey, he was required to eliminate her. But when had he blindly followed time lord law? No. This was his choice. Dependant? Perhaps, but she was an adult by human standards, and could take care of herself. Custodial responsibility? No. _Blimey, English has a lack of good words on this subject. _Ward. A person under the protection and in the custody of another. Yes. _Ward. That's the word_. Maybe she could be more than just his ward.

She could become a friend. It would be nice having a friend he could share the universe with for a while. Humans never lasted though. A few decades and she would be gone. He let out a shuttered breath. No one noticed. Grief splashed across his features. It was so hard being alone... so alone. _I won't think about it, _thought the Doctor_. I'm not alone right now. _He looked at his two excited companions. They had such simple lives, no real worries... just living. He smiled at their shared anticipation.

With Lilly's natural curiosity, a little longer and she'll never want to go home

, he comforted himself a little more. _Maybe Rose might want to stay too_. He knew Rose would be with him at least long enough to save his life, if Lilly was right. The Doctor's smile grew. He was entitled to a fantasy once in a while.

The Doctor imagined a Tardis filled with family and friends laughing and visiting and traveling. Children running around the console, making noise, asking questions. His descendants. His family. His friends. _And no disputes between any of them. Now that's a nice fantasy_, he specified.

He remembered the last time some of his family had accidently bumped into each other on Molimbus Three. It wasn't long before they were all visiting and telling stories. His descendants had his spice for living. His grandson had even been hiding from the time lord high counsel at the time. He'd met Susan's newly loomed great granddaughter, Arkytior. She was beautiful. The Doctor smiled at the memory. He'd loved every one of them, and they'd adored him. He could almost imagine feeling their time lord buzz in the back of his mind.

_Don't! _he cut himself off, _they're gone. They're gone and they're not coming back. Focus on the here and now. All that matters is the here and now. _He felt his emotional walls slam back up into place, sealing off the pain. It was the only way to stay sane.

The Doctor steadied himself before turning his attention back to the present. He would have Lilly. And Rose might choose to stay. That would have to do.

_Provided nothing goes wrong_. The Doctor frowned. He'd be extra vigilant to make the humans feel safe on this trip. _Besides_, he thought, _it's a viewing platform. Safe as safe can be. _Nothing would go wrong.


	5. Chapter 5: Paradox

Chapter 5: Paradox

The first aliens to walk through the doorway into the enormous main room were Jabe, Mute, and Copper of the Forest of Cheem. Even though Lilly's mind was full of worries, when she saw the trees from the Forest of Cheem, she was suddenly overcome with excitement. _Wow! _she thought_, Just. Wow! _She couldn't help bouncing up and down, smiling like some crazy fan-girl. _How could this really be happening?! _The Doctor gave her a puzzled look.

_How could anyone keep up with this human's moods? _he wondered. Only a moment ago she had been entirely worried and serious. Now, she seemed almost euphoric. Maybe she'd come in contact with something. The Doctor quickly whipped out his sonic screwdriver and gave her a quick scan. Normal. Lilly stopped bouncing and grinned.

"Jabe," she said. "I get to meet Jabe."

"Is she important?" asked the Doctor. Lilly smiled and pretended to lock her mouth with an imaginary key. The Doctor smiled back.

_Good girl_, he thought.

Jabe looked spectacular. On the show the aliens often looked like people in rubber suits and makeup. This was not the case with Jabe. She was literally made out of wood. Watching her walk was like watching a tree glide across the floor. She was graceful. The branches on her head danced in the slight breeze caused by her movements, and her smooth bark gave her the appearance of having a perfect complection. Other aliens were arriving, but Lilly's attention was all on Jabe. She was truly beautiful.

When Jabe approached, Lilly was struck by the feeling of peace coming off of her. It was that same feeling a person enjoys when standing in a grove of trees on a mountain away from civilization. The woman echoed a calming, comforting, serene atmosphere. The smell of cedarwood filled the air. Lilly took a deep breath, and felt all her stress and apprehension from the day's adventures melt away. The tension in her shoulders dissolved, and tears of relief came to Lilly's eyes. She quietly exhaled all her worries. She relaxed. Lilly was in a state of complete peace.

"The gift of peace," said Jabe. Her voice was soothing like salve on a sore muscle. Lilly could feel its vibrations throughout her whole body. "I bring you a cutting of my grandfather." Lilly had never felt anything like Jabe's voice before.

"Thank you," answered the Doctor almost reverently. He gently handed the cutting to Rose, and began searching himself for a gift to give in return.

_I wonder if Jabe is affecting him the same way? _wondered Lilly. _Probably even more since he's sort of telepathic. _She shook her head. _Poor Doctor._

"Yes, gifts," he cleared his throat, "I give you in return... air from my lungs." The Doctor blew a soft breath across Jabe's face and branches. She drew in a deep breath, and the sprigs of flowers on her head shuttered. Jabe had responded as though the Doctor's breath had deeply caressed her.

"How... intimate." She smiled flirtatiously.

"There's more where that came from." The Doctor flirted back. Lilly was shocked. She hadn't realized the Doctor had been flirting before. She'd always thought it was only Jabe who was interested in the Doctor.

"I bet there is." She flirted again. Jabe smiled and turned to leave.

"Excuse me," Lilly spoke to Jabe. She stopped and faced Lilly. "I just wanted to say how beautiful you are. I've never seen anyone like you before, and you are breathtaking." Jabe smiled at the compliment.

"Thank you." She nodded. Jabe was genuinely flattered. Lilly swallowed a little nervously. _I might never have an opportunity like this again_, she thought.

"Would it be alright," Lilly hesitated, "I mean... would you... would you let me touch you?" Jabe seemed a little surprised at the request. But quickly recovered. She smiled at Lilly, and extended her arm. Lilly reached out and gently ran her fingers over Jabe's wooden hand.

It was incredible. Jabe was completely wood, but Lilly could feel movement just below her thin cool bark, like a pulse. There was no heat coming from the alien. She was completely cool to the touch. Lilly had a look of wonder on her face. She withdrew her hands, and smiled at Jabe.

"Thank you. You're amazing." Lilly's hands shook, but this time it wasn't because of fear. She was trembling with excitement.

"It was my honor." Jabe nodded her head once again, and walked away. Lilly stared after the talking alien tree.

That was incredible

, she thought. She was surprised to see Rose and the Doctor staring at her when she turned back around. Rose was looking at Lilly with a surprised expression of awe, while the Doctor was watching her with a look of pride. She'd treasured something he'd shown her.

Lilly suddenly remembered Jabe was going to die. All of her stresses and worries crashed back down onto her. Her smiled quickly slipped into a deep frown. The Doctor's smile turned into a concerned look.

"What is it?" he questioned, "What's wrong?"

"No," Lilly answered in a stunned voice, shaking her head. She noticed the Mox of Balhoon off to her left. He was the little blue alien who would spit in Rose's face. She remembered seeing his chard remains at the end of the episode. She saw a beige alien with no face. She remembered it ended up lying on the ground with its mate crying over it.

Lilly continued looking around the room. She saw alien after alien. When she'd watched the show, the deaths of all those imaginary aliens hadn't really affected her. Even a few minutes ago, she hadn't really cared. All she wanted to do was get back to the Tardis before the trouble started. But after meeting Jabe, she realized with a sick sinking feeling, they were all people. Real living people. She wasn't looking at alien after alien. She was looking at person after person.

It was like going through the line at the supermarket, meeting a wonderful person who you could see being friends with, and knowing she was going to die. Not just die. Burn to death, screaming in agony. It was like looking around a store filled with people, families, and children, when you knew someone had locked the doors and was about to burn it to the ground. Lilly choked on her breath. It was real. It was all real.

"Lilly, did you like... see the future just now?" asked Rose.

"She's going to die," answered Lilly, absently. _They all will_, she thought.

"When?" The Doctor's question snapped Lilly out of her shock. "Is it immediate. Is it preventable?" His face was serious. She had to warn the Doctor. But did this count as immediate death? They wouldn't get hurt until just before the earth burned. There was still almost half an hour before that would happen. If she said something too soon, would it cause a paradox? If she waited too long, would he be able to save everyone?

"What's your definition of immediate? How much time are we talking?"

"Just enough to prevent the problem." The Doctor shook his finger at Lilly when he continued. "And not a moment more."

"Why can't she tell us now?" asked Rose.

"Could create a paradox," answered the Doctor.

"And that would be bad, yeah?"

"Very."

Lilly pressed her lips together. The answers the Doctor had given her didn't really help. She didn't know how much time the Doctor would need to fix this situation. Time on T.V. was never accurate. One minute left before a bomb goes off would often last ten minutes. Whereas twelve hours of stake out time was over in twelve seconds. After a moment's more hesitation, Lilly decided their deaths were close enough to be called 'immediate.' After all, the Doctor was barely able to save platform one on the show. He would need more of a heads-up to save all those who died. Right?

"There's this blue lady. Raffalo, I think." Lilly remembered the plumber. "If she climbs into the air vent, these spider things will kill her. But I don't know the exact time it happens, 'cause it didn't really say on the show," Lilly tried to explain. The Doctor held up his hand for Lilly to stop. Had she said too much? Why was he stopping her? She wasn't finished.

_Spiders_, thought the Doctor, _and an air vent. _She had also just mentioned 'the show' again. How could he trust anything she said? It was obvious she was still having problems dealing with reality. He hadn't trusted her about the Nestine Consciousness, and people died. Could he afford to make the same mistake again? _Spiders and an air vent_, he reminded himself. But what if she was simply using her fantasy to deal with a real and present danger? At least she wasn't talking about Jabe. He really liked that tree. But what had triggered her insight? If it was insight. What had initiated her future sense... or her delusion?

"How do you mean 'on the show'?" asked Rose.

"Never mind that now," answered the Doctor. "We need to narrow down how much time we've got."

"Do you know what happens just before Ra... Raff.. What happens just before she dies?" asked Rose. "That would give us a better time estimate."

"Good question," the Doctor said to Rose.

"Don't answer," he said to Lilly. "Just think. What happens before Raffalo dies?" Lilly thought back to the show. Rose had been talking to Raffalo just before she was killed. Which meant Raffalo was safe until after Rose left the main room.

"Is her death moments away?" asked the Doctor. Then he sensed it. A possible paradox. It was a big one. Enormous. A shiver went up the Doctor's spine. Whatever was going on here could very easily become catastrophic. It was far bigger than anything he could fix on his own. Maybe he should take his companions back to the Tardis. Maybe they should just leave. The Doctor reached out with his mind, testing the time lines. Every possible paradox at this particular time junction came back to Lilly. It wasn't the place. It was the girl. That would mean leaving wouldn't solve anything. A feeling of dread came over the homeless time lord. 'Final action' might be unavoidable.

"No," Lilly had to answer. "There is still time." She could warn him just before Rose left the room.

"Good. Now, not another word."

"But..."

"I mean it."

"O.K." Lilly acquiesced. She trusted him, and let it go. The Doctor had listened to her this time. He knew there would be a problem, and she knew he would listen when the time came. _Maybe __**everybody**__ lives today_, thought Lilly, and smiled.

The Mox of Balhoon approached on his gliding cushioned chair.

"The Mox of Balhoon," greeted the Doctor with a smile. Lilly couldn't believe how quickly the Doctor's demeanor had changed. He was suddenly smiling and pleasantly conversing with the new alien, whereas seconds before he had been completely somber.

"My felicitations on this historic happenstance," the Mox of Balhoon spilled his words out at a super speed, drool splashing as he spoke. The Doctor leaned forward, listening with raised eyebrows and a gaping mouth.

Lilly looked at the Mox of Balhoon. She knew what was going to happen here, so she let her attention wonder around the room instead of listening. The area was now filled with at least a hundred visitors... aliens. She noticed the Yuta from Shai. The three of them had almost a dozen children buzzing their wings around with excitement. Their shape seemed all wrong, twisted somehow. They appeared almost deformed.

They're so alien

, Lilly thought. She closed her eyes for a moment to keep from being overwhelmed. The noise in the room was busy with music and visiting and buzzing wings and clanking dishes. When she glanced up again she saw two fur covered aliens just entering through the main doorway. One of them was holding a tiny baby in a pouch on its chest. It was adorably cute.

The Face of Boe entered right behind the fur coverered aliens. _The Face of Boe! _Lilly's face lit up. _That... that's Captain Jack Harkness! The __**REAL**__ Captain Jack Harkness!_

"I bring you the gift of bodily salivas." Lilly glanced back down at the Mox of Balgoon, still grinning from ear to ear. He promptly hawked a wad of mucus before quickly moving on. But it didn't land on Rose like it had on the show. Instead, the massive golf-ball sized glob of slimy snot unexpectedly hit Lilly square in the face. Splat!

Rose let out a short gasped giggle, but a moment later was helping Lilly clean her face with a napkin from the pizzeria. Lilly kept her eyes and mouth tightly closed. Her gag reflex kicked in, and she started dry heaving. Rose chased the goopy slime around Lilly's face with the napkin.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Rose gagged. She was dry heaving now too. "This is really dis..." gag, "...disgusting." Lilly didn't dare speak. She didn't want any of it to accidently end up in her mouth. She gagged at the thought of cold alien snot on her tongue.

_Think of something else. Think of something else_, she told her self. _Kitty cats, stuffed animals, flowers_. She continued with a long list of pleasant thoughts. Nothing worked. She couldn't distract herself. Gag. Finally, Rose had gotten the last of the mess cleaned up, and Lilly opened her eyes, grimacing in disgust.

"Still," Rose continued. She gagged again when she noticed some of the slime slipping off of the napkin. "It could've been worse, yeah."

"How could that be worse?" Lilly asked, completely grossed out. She swallowed, trying to calm her gag reflex. The Doctor was watching with an innocent looking smile.

"He could've gotten me," said Rose with a cheeky grin. Lilly gave Rose a surprised look, but a memory of Rose getting spit in her eye on the show tickled Lilly's funny bone. She smiled.

"No. The look on your face would have been so much better."

"Ya think?" Rose smiled too, and the two girls started laughing. The Doctor looked on with a puzzled expression. What was so funny? Was gagging funny? _Oh!_ They were bonding. _Good_, he continued to smile_, Bonding is good. _He stuffed the moist flannel he was about to bring out back into his transdimensional pocket. _Who knew the gift of bodily saliva could be such a treasure to humans? _

After a few minutes, their laughter died away. Lilly realized Rose had done it again. She had seen Lilly was having a hard time with a situation. So she'd used distraction, and this time humor, to make Lilly more comfortable. What kind of woman was she that she could read people so well?

"Thanks, Rose." Rose smiled back. "I needed that." Lilly felt better. Maybe she couldn't share everything she knew. Maybe she couldn't save everyone here. But maybe... just maybe she could help someone, anyone. Maybe she could be a little more like Rose.

The faceless beige aliens approached and exchanged gifts. The Doctor explain they were from a little asteroid where the entire population lives underground in the dark. Instead of a face, they developed a circular patterned soft grill to catch sound waves for energy conversion (food), and sensory input (sight, sound, etc).

But Lilly was only half listening. She kept remembering one of the beige aliens suffering at the end of the episode. _That's a person_, she told herself. _A real, living, feeling person_. She swallowed. Lilly started thinking about what she could do to help the situation here **without** getting herself into trouble. She wasn't about to let herself end up as a 'Doctor Who' casualty.

She knew the Doctor was being extra cautious with the information she had. She couldn't tell him anything more for some reason. _Maybe there are some fixed points I can't see_, she wondered. Could she safely still affect what was going to happen? That was the big question. The Doctor had told her it was alright for her to be here. Just Lilly's presence had changed events with the Nestine Consciousness, so just her presence could change things here. She didn't know how to save everyone. She would have to leave that up to the Doctor. He would have to decide what to do with the information she would give him in the future. But she knew she could at least save Jabe. All she had to do was be there when the Doctor needed someone to hold down that giant switch. She could take Jabe's place. Maybe she could save Raffalo too, if she went with Rose.

"Doctor?" Lilly asked.

"Hm."

"Are there any fixed points here?" He studied Lilly for a moment. Then he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He seemed very still, like his whole body was paused. He exhaled.

"Nope," he answered. "No fixed points._" This is good_, thought the Doctor. _She's trying to be careful. Trying to understand. And she remembered my comment about fixed points_. But if she was asking about fixed points, did that mean she was thinking about altering the future? An uneasy chill went through the Doctor. He had just told her there were no fixed points in the near future. He had all but given her permission to alter events. With a paradox so close, this was not good.

"What's a fixed point?" asked Rose, looking up at the Doctor. _Blimey_, thought the Doctor, _I wasn't planning on teaching every human. _He looked down at her. Rose's smile and wide eyed curiosity melted his hearts_. Oh... Alright. How do I simplify fixed points?_

"An event that has to happen to maintain the integrity of time." Rose waited for him to go on. "Like..." _Blimey. What's the simplest fixed point? _"Like the creation of the universe," he tried to explain. "If there is no creation of the universe, then nothing would have ever existed, including time. That's a fixed point. The creation of the universe has to occur." Rose scrunched her eyebrows and shook her head.

"So, if nothing exists, then nothing exists." She continued in a sarcastic voice, "Yeah, takes a genius to figure that one out." _Alright_, thought the Doctor, _too simple_. He doubted she could comprehend anything less simple though. She was only human. He grimaced at her.

"Never mind," he said, a little deflated. "You wouldn't understand." Rose raised her eyebrows

"Oh, I don't know," challenged Rose, "Fixed points seem easy enough. Give us another." He raised his eyebrows.

The trio was approached by the Shiigre of Norf. The four of them were tall and thin. They resembled enormous stick bugs walking on hind legs. Gifts were exchanged, but the Doctor didn't elaborate on them after they'd moved on.

"Alright," the Doctor grinning like he was about to show off. "Try this. Solved this back in grade school. If Hanvorm of Yeaza hadn't died of shlomes disease, his son never would have created a cure in 5078. If he hadn't created the cure, within six months the disease would have mutated into an unstoppable plague, eventually destroying all life in the universe. If all life ceases to exist before its hytate energy can be reintegrated into a biotrace or dispersed retrostatively, the residual hytate would draw artron and siffix energy from the vortex at a phenomenal magnitude. Thus ripping apart time retroactively. Nothing would ever have existed." He took a breath, grinning like he was so impressive. Rose stared at the Doctor a little stunned. Lilly was holding her breath. "Where's the fixed point?" asked the Doctor. "Where's the point in time that has to happen to keep existence existing?" He smiled and raise his eyebrows waiting for a reply.

"It's," Lilly answered, "It's the guy getting sick."

"Nope." He looked at Rose.

"The guy curing the disease?" asked Rose.

"Nope," he paused for effect. "Five hundred and twenty three years before Hanvorm was born. Shoglo Niem had a tryst with a visiting orzi, introducing the gene necessary to make her species suseptible to shlomes disease. Her child. Genetic weakness. Fixed point."

"But if the one guy didn't get sick or his son was stopped from finding the cure..." started Lilly.

"That would just be a paradox," explained the Doctor. "Paradoxes can be fixed. Someone else could get sick. Someone else could find the cure... with a little manipulation. Fixed points can't happen any other way. They're fixed. Stuck in place, forever."

"It's like which came first, the chicken or the egg, yeah?" said Rose.

"Paradox," said the Doctor. "Fixed points are more."

"So's a fixed point's a paradox so big, it destroys everything. Why didn't you just say that?" Rose asked.

"Well, no. Yes. Sort of." The Doctor shook his head. "Close enough."

_Good_, thought Lilly. If she didn't have to worry about fixed points, then she could still help. All she had to do was be at the right place at the right time. Right? Then why was she still worried? Lilly saw the Face of Boe behind a pair of bird-like aliens making their way towards the trio. Maybe the Face of Boe could give Lilly some advice. Even if he didn't know Lilly, after five billion years of experience, he had to have some kind of insight.

"Is it O.K. if I wonder a bit? Lilly checked with the Doctor.

"Don't get lost," answered the Doctor. Lilly nodded and walked away. "And don't start a paradox," he called out after a few seconds.

"Oh, you know me," Lilly called back, "Nothin' more fun than startin' a paradox." Instantly Lilly felt the Doctors hand around her wrist. He pulled her back to him. Didn't she understand what he had just been lecturing about!

"I'm not joking," he said quietly, releasing her wrist abruptly from his powerful grasp. He was extremely concerned about the possible paradox on the horizon. Lilly was shocked. Was he angry? Rose looked on in surprise. She couldn't hear what the Doctor and Lilly were saying. They were too quiet in the noisy room, and Lilly had walked too far away before the Doctor had stopped her. She could tell it was a serious conversation though.

"I'm not one to give second chances on this." Was he threatening her?! What. Did he think she was a bad guy, or something? She glared at him. He kept his body uncomfortably close to hers, invading her space. She took a step back. He folded his arms and didn't take his eyes off of her. She swallowed, and they stood staring at each other for a minute. _Oh_, Lilly let out a breath. She finally understood, _He thought I was serious. _She tried to give him a reassuring smile, still a little unsettled.

"Sorry." She stepped forward and put her hand comfortingly on his arm. "I was just joking. Don't they have sarcasm where you're from?" The Doctor's face relaxed. He unfolded his arms.

"Right then," he said. He almost looked embarrassed. _Sarcasm_, he reprimanded himself. _I must be getting old. Or thick_. _Old and thick. _He needed to explain_. _"I'm sensing a paradox. Puts me on edge. Lives at stake. Lilly, you need to be extra careful."

"Paradox?" Lilly looked around for the scavengers she'd seen on the 'Father's Day' episode. "But not a fixed point, right?" The Doctor pinched his nose and shook his head. He hadn't been clear enough. She didn't understand.

"A lose paradox can be just as devastating as a fixed point." He gave her a piercing look to make his point. She rubbed her hands together and bit her lip. Now it made sense why he'd told her not to say another word. She frowned at the Doctor.

"Is it my fault? Was it something I said?! Should we go back to the Tardis? I shouldn't have come!" The Doctor gently took hold of her upper arms, trying to calm her.

"It hasn't happened yet. And your presence here isn't the cause."

"Are you sure?!" Lilly shivered when she thought of the dragon-like creatures that would eat everyone, if a paradox was created. She wished she'd never ended up here in 'Doctor Who' land. If she hadn't shown up here, everything would be fine. No paradoxes. No spiders. No worries.

"I can tell. You probably can too, with a little training. Just shut up about the future and things will be fine."

"It's my mouth. Isn't it? Something I say."

"Probably. Maybe. Feels like it has something to do with you. Don't know for sure yet." Lilly knew this wasn't supposed to happen. Nothing like this happened in the episode. She was causing a problem, just by being here. How many people could die because she was messing things up? _Well_, she thought, _I can fix that_.

"I want to go home." The Doctor frowned. Lilly noticed Rose over the Doctor's shoulder. She was looking a little nervous, and Lilly didn't blame her. "You... You should get back to Rose. I think she's getting overwhelmed." Lilly thought again about getting answers from the Face of Boe. Maybe he would know how to get her home, not just to Earth, but **home**. "I'm going to mingle a bit." Maybe the Face of Boe knew something about this paradox too, and how to prevent it.

"I just warned you about a paradox and you want to mingle? You want to mingle... with aliens, but you don't want to keep traveling." That didn't make sense. If she was comfortable mingling under the stress of a paradox, and wanted to see aliens, why wouldn't she want to keep traveling with him?

"This will be the last time I'm stepping out of your Tardis until my arm is healed up," Lilly explained. "Then I'll stay on Earth until you find... if... if you find me a way back home. I'm not going to be the cause of some paradox." Her hands shook a bit as she spoke. _Ah_, thought the Doctor. _Now it makes sense_. He'd scared her... again. _Stupid._ But she needed to understand the seriousness of revealing too much information, especially now. The Doctor took note of her body language. Apparently, she understood all too well what a paradox was like. How serious it could be. That was interesting. Most humans didn't have the faintest idea about paradoxes. Even time agents only understood an inkling. Any doubts he may have had about Lilly being time sensitive suddenly disappeared. She was his responsibility now.

The Doctor was again thankful for that little lie about her cast. It was the only thing keeping her from demanding to be brought home right now. He knew now was not the time to argue with the human about her decision to leave. Her species could become extremely stubborn when confronted during a perceived dangerous situation. He would have to convince her to stay when she was feeling unthreatened back on the Tardis. If he couldn't convince her, maybe he would have to keep 'accidentally' landing the Tardis anywhere but Earth. That wouldn't really be a lie. Would it? But was she powerful enough to see through a ruse like that?

"So, if this is my last chance to see anything like this, I'm not wasting it," Lilly finished her explanation. _Was that a lie? _she asked herself. _Yeah. Probably_. She wasn't wanting to mingle. She just wanted some advice from his future companion. But she couldn't tell him about the Face of Boe being his future companion without creating a paradox. So she still wasn't breaking their deal.

"Understood," said the Doctor. "Stay out of trouble." He turned, and headed back to Rose. Lilly stood still for a moment, watching the Doctor with Rose Tyler.

"Always to watch. Never to interfere," she whispered thinking of her current predicament. "What a nightmare." She'd barely spoken above a whisper, but the Doctor heard her. He frowned, and looked up. He hoped Lilly wasn't going to try anything stupid. He really didn't want to have to stop her.

How could she be familiar with that Gallifreyan motto?

he asked himself. Did she pick it up from him? From his mind? Had she previously been in contact with another time lord? He needed to figure her out. He needed to solve this mystery before people got hurt, before this monstrous paradox had a chance to form. He could easily eliminate the human, but taking Lilly out of the equation might actually cause the paradox. He just didn't know enough to decide what to do yet. The Doctor checked the time lines again. Nothing had changed. He'd hoped, after speaking with Lilly about the seriousness of the impending time crash, the paradox would simply dissipate. So much for hope.

"So, how did she mean 'the show?'" Rose asked the Doctor, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Oh. Um," he hesitated. _How much should he tell Rose? _"That's a bit of a story."

Lilly turned away from watching the Doctor and Rose to find the Face of Boe right behind her.

"Hello."

"Hi," she squeaked. She was actually meeting Captain Jack... the real Captain Jack Harkness. Lilly couldn't help feeling a little shy. John Barrowman, the actor who played Captain Jack, was well known for his flirtatious and naughty behavior. He'd been fawned over by millions of fans. But John Barrowman was only an actor. This... this creature before Lilly was the real thing. He was really Captain Jack Harkness. The man who could put Casanova to shame. Or at least he had been, before he became a giant head.

"Lilly Brooks." She heard his voice in her mind. The sensation wasn't overwhelming. It felt soft, if sound could be soft.

"Captain Jack," Lilly responded. He laughed.

"Now, there's a name I've not heard in a long, long time."

"Sorry," she corrected herself, "If... if you prefer..."

"Why so nervous? We're old friends, you and I."

"You know me?" Lilly was suddenly a little sad. If Captain Jack knew her personally, then she could safely bet she wasn't going home anytime soon. More than that. It meant she would still be on the Tardis for a good long while, at least long enough to meet Captain Jack. What if she never made it home? What if she was stuck in this universe forever?

"Please, call me Jack." The giant head smirked, and gave Lilly a seductive wink. How could he do that?! He was a head!

"Pleased to meet you."

"We have a lot to discuss. I'm sure you have questions." Lilly was relieved to have some answers. But after the Doctor's warning about that paradox, she was a little gun-shy. She'd let him do most of the talking, just to be safe.

"Oh, yes. Thank you. I... I've been so... Thank you for anything you can tell me," she stammered. The Face of Boe headed towards the opposite side of the room.

"This way," he said. "We'll need a little privacy." Lilly's face flushed at his last sentence. _How does he do that?!_

Several of the Face of Boe's entourage, Lilly noticed, stepped behind her effectively blocking the Doctor's view. _That's a little unsettling_, she thought. Just as they reached the other side of the room, Lilly noticed the hooded alien robots responsible for passing out the spiders.

"I need to warn the Doctor," Lilly said as she turned around to head back. Several of Jack's men stepped in front of her, and blocked her way. She was suddenly a little afraid.

"It won't do any good," said the Face of Boe. "He won't believe you." Lilly turned back to face Jack. She folded her arms, trying to calm herself. Something was not right.

"He'll believe me. I just spoke to him about the metal spiders a moment ago. He said I just had to wait to give him the rest of the information." _Oh, no! _She had just mentioned the sabotaging little robots. What if Jack didn't know about them yet? What if she'd just created a paradox? Lilly pressed her lips together. _NO. MORE. TALKING_. she ordered herself.

"So you told him about the spiders?" Lilly didn't answer. "You told him you saw a woman being killed by spiders in an air vent on a television show?" Lilly paused, relieved Jack already knew about the spiders. She hadn't created a paradox. "And he believed you? He doesn't believe you're having delusions about suffocating in a filthy air vent being eaten alive by shanoids? He trusts you? He believes you've seen his whole life on a 21st century human television show from an alternate universe? So, he doesn't believe you're a dangerous time sensitive creature having trouble dealing with reality, after experiencing a traumatic life threatening event?" Lilly was shocked. She didn't know what to say. Was that how the Doctor thought of her? Was that why he'd freaked out over her sarcastic comment a few moments ago?

"He doesn't believe you." The Face of Boe paused. "Lilly, he doesn't even trust you. And that puts you in grave danger." Lilly was stunned. Was he right? How could the Doctor think of her that way?! She'd saved his life...TWICE! Suddenly, platform one felt a whole lot more alien, and the Tardis didn't feel much better.

"This way." The Face of Boe turned. A panel just big enough to let him fit through opened up on the far wall. Lilly followed him through. She found herself in a large adjacent room with the Face of Boe and about twenty alien humanoid men dressed in colorful robes. "Now, we can talk." The door slid closed behind them. "But we don't have much time."

"The first thing you need to understand is that time lords are not nice."

"I know all about time lords," Lilly countered. She remembered the Master, the Rani, and quite a few others. But she also remembered the good time lords. Romana. Castellan. Was that his name? Susan.

"Stories from a children's program," said the Face of Boe. He shook his head. Well, technically, he shook his whole body. "Lilly, you know next to nothing. Time lord cruelty rivals, and even surpasses the daleks. They care for no one but themselves. You have to understand what you've seen on 'Doctor Who' has been dumbed down, edited to make a family show. It was a children's program. Do you understand what I'm trying to say? A story for children. You have no idea how terrible their race was."

Lilly understood what Jack was saying, but she couldn't believe they were that bad. _Maybe at the end of the time war when they tried to destroy the time vortex. But that was after enduring the time war. They were probably a little insane by then._

When Lilly's focus shifted from her own thoughts back to the Face of Boe, he went on. "I know the Doctor was one of the best his species had to offer, but he is still a time lord. You know he thinks you are a time sensitive creature, like him. That automatically puts you under time lord jurisdiction, his jurisdiction. If you continue telling him you've seen all of this on T.V., he will judge you to be insane. An insane time sensitive creature is a danger to the time lines. If you keep telling him everything you know, he will believe you have infinite knowledge. That's a danger to the time lines. If he finds out you've intentionally changed anything using your future knowledge, he'll consider you hazardous to the time lines. If he believes any of these things, he will destroy you." Lilly shook her head. _No_, she told herself, _that's not the Doctor_.

"He will believe you are a danger to the very fabric of reality. The Doctor will hallow out your mind. He will pull and destroy every memory, every dream, every thought from your soul, and lock you in a time lock on the Tardis for all of eternity." Lilly recoiled back.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I don't believe you!"

"When the time lords fought a time war, they fought to win. They never held back. Mind control. Torture. Hypnosis. Threats. Extortion. Kidnaping. Conscription. Slavery. These are only a few of the measures commonly employed to maintain their control over time. They participated in, idealized in every atrocity you've ever heard of and more. Whatever action or inaction they needed to win their war was acceptable. They would just clean up the mess with a few paradoxes when they were done. You know the Doctor fought in the last time war." Lilly nodded. She knew he fought. "He was fighting in that time war for centuries. Do you think he never got his hands dirty? How long does it take before killing becomes second nature?"

"No! He wouldn't do anything he didn't have to. He's not like that. He's good!" she shouted at the Face of Boe. "He certainly wouldn't steal someone's memories just because they were... unusual. You're wrong, Jack. You're just wrong." The Face of Boe cringed at her last sentence. The phrase brought back age old feelings of rejection for him.

"Lilly, think about it. He executed his entire race, billions of women, billions of children, his own family, his own children, because he thought they were a danger to time. How long would he hesitate to destroy one lowly human?" Lilly stood quietly, shaken by Jack's words. Was he right? Should she be afraid of the Doctor? No. The Doctor was the Doctor. She would just have to find some way to make him believe her.

Then again, she wasn't going to travel with him, so what did any of this matter? But Jack said they were old friends. Did that mean she would have to stay with the Doctor until after she was friends with Captain Jack? Was she going to be stuck on the Tardis, stressing about paradoxes for the next year? The Face of Boe only said they were friends. He never said they'd traveled with the Doctor together. Maybe she could still get out of this. Maybe they'd met some other way.

Two humanoid men brought over an ornate golden box. While the one man held the box, the other man opened it. He pulled out Jack's vortex-manipulator like it was some revered piece of treasure.

"I'm not staying with the Doctor," Lilly told the Face of Boe, "so it doesn't matter." She watched the men as she spoke. "I've already told him, I want to go home after this." The men approached Lilly, and began securing the vortex-manipulator to her wrist.

"What... what are you doing?" she asked in an angry voice.

"We don't have much time, Lilly," answered the Face of Boe. "You have to prevent a paradox."

"What paradox?" _Was it the paradox the Doctor had been sensing?_

"You have to get your past self onto the Tardis." Lilly had completely forgotten about the paradox she had started in the pizzeria. During the past day she hadn't had much time to think. She had assumed she would tell the Doctor about seeing herself, and he would take her back to fix things. But one thing had led to another, and she'd forgotten to tell him about it. "You can't let the Doctor know you're the person getting yourself onto the Tardis."

"Why?"

"You can't tell him anything we've discussed here."

"Why?"

"Stop telling him you've seen everything on T.V. Don't let him know what you know. And don't let him know when you've changed something. And for the universe's sake never, NEVER, let him into your mind."

"Why aren't you answering me? Tell me why!" she ordered.

"I've already told you why. You just don't want to hear it. Lilly, we don't have much time."

"Just press this button to return," said a bright orange humanoid. He pressed another button on the glorified wrist watch, but nothing happened. Instantly, the other men brought over, and hooked up some complicated equipment to it. They worked in a frenzy, tugging at the equipment on her wrist.

"It has trouble holding its charge nowadays," explained Jack. Lilly was feeling overwhelmed. Yesterday she was just an ordinary college student. Her biggest worry was whether or not she would pass her next English paper, or how to budget in a girl's night out. Now, she was standing in front of an ancient Casanova, surrounded by colorful aliens, and had a five billion year old time traveling device strapped to her arm. She felt a chill run down her spine, and her bottom lip quivered into a frown. This wasn't right.

"I'm scared," said Lilly.

"You'll be fine, sweet heart." Her knees went weak. _Sweet heart? _ Why would he call her sweet heart? She swallowed. _Oh, no. _No. There was no way she was getting together with Captain Jack. Yeah, he was cute, but... Lilly thought back to the show. Then she thought about 'Torchwood.' She thought about all those people who fell for the captain. _No way_, she thought. _I know where that mouth has been_. She grimaced. Lilly shook her head to clear the thought.

"Don't worry about paradoxes from what you know from your show. Time lines from one universe won't affect time lines from another... usually. The walls between universes act as insulators. Time doesn't even move at the same rate from one dimension to the next. So, relax, Lilly. So long as you don't let the Doctor know anything, you'll be fine. There's no way you can hide everything from a time lord. They're too smart. Let him believe you are mildly psychic. Just... never tell him anything big. The more impressive the information you share, the more danger you'll be putting yourself in."

_Bull crap! _thought Lilly. She still didn't believe the Doctor was like that. Maybe the Face of Boe knew about how time worked. Maybe he knew technology and dimension stuff, but for some reason he no longer knew the Doctor. She had just seen him risk his life to save the Earth. She had seen him upset when the shanoids had hurt her. She had seen him skip like a school boy at the idea of Rose traveling with him. This was not the kind of man who would hurt her. She knew the only reason why he'd destroyed Gallifrey was because the time lords would have destroyed everything including Gallifrey if he didn't. There really was no choice.

"So... So you're saying as long as the Doctor doesn't find out, I can do whatever I want?" Lilly's voice was hard.

"No," the Face of Boe chuckled. "You're still bound by the laws of time in this dimension, just like everyone else. You can save that blue lady in the air vent from the metal spiders. You could even talk to Cassandra, and convince her not to kill everyone. Because the information came from another dimension, there's no threat of a paradox." Well, that verified Lilly was from another dimension, but what about the missing void stuff? The vortex-manipulator sparked, singeing her arm. It burned. It burned like Cassandra was going to burn all the people on this station.

"Wait! If you know about Cassandra, how come you haven't stopped her? Why did you even invite her to your party?!"

"Because my information came from Rose and the Doctor's experiences. I can't change events without causing..."

"...a paradox," Lilly finished his sentence. She felt like she was finally starting to understand. "And the same goes for me. I got myself onto the Tardis, so I have to get myself onto the Tardis." Jack smiled at her." Lilly wondered how her little paradox got started in the first place. Was there a start? Was there a time when she didn't get onto the Tardis? Did someone intentionally create a paradox to force her to travel with the Doctor? Or had her little paradox always existed? She was getting dizzy just thinking about it. She shook her head again.

"It doesn't matter since I won't be traveling with him."

"Lilly, you're going to be with him for quite a while." She bit her lip. That's not what she'd wanted to hear.

"Why?" she asked. "Why would I stay with him?"

"We're ready," said the bright orange humanoid.

"Remember what I've said," ordered Jack.

"Good luck," said the orange humanoid, activating the vortex manipulator.

"Wait! I still have questions!"

"Watch out for..." called out the Face of Boe. But Lilly was already gone.


	6. Chapter 6: Lines

Disclaimer 'Doctor Who' isn't my creation.

Chapter 6: Lines

Traveling through the vortex without a shield was not an experience Lilly wanted to repeat. The sensation was beyond frightening. There were disjointed images shattering through her mind, and her body felt all wrong. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't move. She couldn't even think. It felt like her body was coming apart. And when she finally arrived, every sensation she'd not been able to feel slammed back into her with the force of a tidal wave.

"Oh," she shrieked, "My head." She dropped to the ground, and cried. She cried like a child, gasping for breath. After a good long while, she calmed down. Lilly was able to think again, but she still didn't open her eyes. _So, that's what Martha went through_. _Poor Martha. She always got the worst trips. _Lilly was sitting on pavement, leaning up against a brick wall. She opened her eyes slowly. The pounding in her head was starting to subside. She was on a wide sidewalk next to an almost empty street. It was dark, obviously night. And it felt desolate.

"Why is it night?" Lilly asked herself. A chill of fear ran through her. What if she'd bounced? What if she'd bounced like Captain Jack when he ended up in the 1800's? Maybe that's why it was night. No. No, it wasn't that bad. This was a modern street. She watched a car drive past, and could hear sirens in the background. If she'd bounced, she wasn't too far off.

_Wait! What if I'm a month early... or a year?_ Lilly had no money, no identification, and no friends to help her out. Where would she stay? She couldn't get a job without I.D. Could she? What about food? Lilly took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

_O.K_. she tried to calm herself. _Don't freak out. I'll assume I've arrived close to the time I need to meet myself. The paradox has to be my first priority. Can't afford to mess this up. If I'm not in the right time, I'll figure that out later. Oh, I still can't believe this is real. _

Lilly glanced down at her cast. She vividly remembered the pain of breaking her arm, and cringed. She felt guilty for lying to herself. She hated dishonesty. _Above all to thine own self be true, _she quoted Shakespear, and chuckled_. Yeah, not possible. At least not in this situation. _She was beginning to understand why the Doctor would think it was acceptable to lie. 'Different morality. Get used to it, or go home.' The Doctor's words from the Charles Dickens episode rang in her ears. Lilly thought about everything the Face of Boe said about the time lords. She thought about the Doctor, and wondered what other moralities were different for time travelers, specifically for him. Did the ends justify the means? Is that how the Doctor thought?

She remembered when Rose tried to stop the Doctor from leaving the Tardis in the 'Army of Ghosts' episode. There were Torchwood soldiers aiming their guns at the Tardis doors. He'd gently moved her out of his way, and told her they could shoot him dead, but he would still have the moral high ground. Lilly smiled at the thought. No. The Doctor didn't think the ends justified the means. The Face of Boe was wrong.

Lilly stood up slowly, but with renewed confidence. _It's the middle of the night, _she said calmly to herself. _I've got to be early. So, what do I do?_ _I have no money, so I can't rent a hotel. Even if I did have money, I wouldn't know where to find a hotel. _She was planning, not panicking. Lilly looked around the empty eerie street, and sat down on a bench. She could hear the loud sirens only a few streets away, and began rubbing her sore legs. They still hurt from climbing all those stairs.

Being out alone at night always gave Lilly the shivers. This place was no different. The lack of birds chirping, the hum of the street lights, and the dark emptiness of the street and sidewalk made the whole area feel unnaturally wrong. _I don't know where I am, _she realized_. _Lilly swallowed nervously. _It's O.K. _she told herself, _I can handle this_, trying to keep her renewed sense of confidence from slipping. Then it dawned on her. _I don't even know where the pizzeria is. It's O.K. I'll just wait until morning, and ask for directions. _She would not panic. She could handle this. _Oh, no. _Lilly bit her lip. _I don't know the name of the restaurant._ _How can I get directions?!_

Suddenly, a large black SUV screeched to a stop on the other side of the street. Captain Jack Harkness, dressed in all his usual Torchwood clothes, jumped out of the drivers seat and shouted.

"Lilly!" She didn't move._ How did he know I was here? _"Move it! We've got to go! NOW!" Lilly jumped off her seat, and bolted towards Jack. The sirens she'd been hearing were getting louder. A helicopter appeared over head, its giant spotlight shining down on Lilly. "Move! Move! Move!" Jack shouted at her. He opened the back driver's side door to let her in, but before she reached him an alarm from the vortex manipulator sounded. Jack's eyes went wide. "Stoooooop!" His hands came up to tell her not to come any closer. He glanced down at his vortex manipulator for only a microsecond, and then back up at Lilly with fear and dread all over his face. At the same time more Torchwood vehicles arrived, blocking off the street, sirens blaring.

"I'm sorry," said Jack. "I didn't know." An energy charge shot from each manipulator, sending electricity shooting through both Lilly and Jack. They screamed, feeling the powerful volts burn their insides. Lilly's world disappeared into darkness as she passed out.

Lilly awoke to the sound of a beeping hospital monitor. Her body hurt. Every muscle cried with a sore ache. She slowly blinked her eyes open and looked around. Lilly was definitely in a hospital. There were monitors and equipment all around her. But some things were off. Where she would have expected to see a window, there was a giant mirror. The colors on the walls felt bleak instead of cozy. And the typical antiseptic hospital smell was missing. _Maybe this is how hospitals look in this dimension_.

Then she saw the video cameras on the ceiling, and remembered. _Those were Torchwood vehicles blocking off the street_. She tried to sit up, only to realize she was restrained. Her wrists and ankles were strapped to the bed. Lilly noticed several other empty beds in the room. She turned her head to the right. There was someone in the other bed next to her. Its occupant was completely covered with a sheet. This was a Torchwood facility. She was in custody. And that was Captain Jack under the sheet in that bed. He was dead. _Torchwood_, Lilly thought, feeling uneasy. Jack could be dead for days. And there was no Doctor coming to rescue her. He didn't even know she was here. She was on her own. Lilly let out a shuttered breath.

Almost on cue a Torchwood agent entered the room.

"Welcome to our facility, Miss... " The middle aged man waited for Lilly to answer.

"Lilly," she said. "I'm Lilly." She noticed the man didn't mention the Torchwood name.

"Yes, Lilly Brooks by our records. A friend of the Doctor. You live in his Tardis." She was surprised. The idea that she was in Torchwood records on an alien Earth unsettled her. Never mind he had just said she was living in the Tardis. She closed her eyes and thought about home for a moment, wishing she was there. "You may call me Mr. Bedford."

"What do you want? Why am I restrained?" Lilly used the steadiest voice she could manage.

"Information. Our organization was created to protect Earth against alien threats. And you, my dear, have been in contact with at least one alien threat. The Doctor."

"He's no threat, and you know it. Let me go."

"We know no such thing. And to make your situation even more of a concern, we have no record of your existence except that you travel with the Doctor. Are you alien, Lilly? Why did the Doctor bring you to my world?" She bit her lip, and tried to slow her breathing. Of course they weren't going to let her go. And this wasn't a movie. She couldn't miraculously escape by pulling her hand through the straps, knocking out this agent with a phony karate chop, and make it out of the facility undetected. Lilly was stuck. She was at the mercy of Torchwood. She wasn't getting out of here unless they let her out. What about the paradox? She had to get to that pizzeria.

"I'm human, and I'm here to stop a paradox," she tried to explain. "If you don't let me go, the entire universe could be ripped apart."

"Really." Mr. Bedford seemed unconvinced. "That's a new one."

"Please," Lilly began. "You've got to understand..."

"Tell me about the Doctor, and I'll see what I can do." He was lying, of course. It was written across his face. Lilly frowned. Why did he want to know about the Doctor? **What** did he want to know about him? Maybe she could tell him a bunch of meaningless trivia. That might... Might what? Well, it might keep things pleasant until she could think of something else. She had to get out of here.

"O.K. O.K. I'll tell you about him, and then you've got to let me go. If I don't make it to the right restaurant on time, I won't be traveling with the Doctor. And since you've got records of me traveling with him, that would be a paradox. And a paradox..."

"Could rip a hole in the universe?" Mr. Bedford finished Lilly's sentence.

"Yeah."

"Interesting concept." Mr. Bedford stepped forward, and removed Lilly's restraints. A few minutes later Lilly was sitting up in her hospital bed, drinking a soda. She wasn't surprised to find she was only dressed in a hospital gown... again. Her body still ached from that electric shock, and the electric burns on her wrist were especially painful. But she was surprised to see her cast and vortex manipulator hadn't been removed.

"Well, since you're in a hurry. Let's get started."

"What do you know about the Doctor." Lilly was hesitant. She knew she would have to tell Mr. Bedford some things, but she certainly didn't want to give away any information the Doctor wouldn't approve of.

"Like what? What do you want to know?"

"What does he look like?" Mr. Bedford smiled. His voice was reassuring. At first, Lilly was surprised at the question. But she knew the Doctor regenerated just before meeting Rose. Did they know he had recently regenerated? They probably didn't know what he looked like. Would that information would be fine to give out. The Doctor always told people who he was. He wasn't hiding his identity.

"He's tall. Broad shoulders. **Very** attractive. Gorgeous blue eyes," Lilly smiled as she spoke. The show didn't do his blue eyes justice. She took in a deep slow breath. Rose was a lucky girl. For a moment her own eyes glassed over while she thought about the Doctor and Rose being in love with each other. "Best eyes in the universe. A woman could get lost in those eyes." Mr. Bedford smirked a bit.

"Do you love him?" At first she was taken aback with his question, but then she thought better of it. Useless drama might help her right now.

"Who doesn't?" answered Lilly unapologetically. She leaned in like she was telling a deep dark secret. "He's the Doctor. There isn't a woman alive who could resist that man's charms." She was happy Mr. Bedford seemed content with the fluff she was feeding him. And she would keep feeding him dribble for as long as he would take it.

"And what do you mean by that?" Lilly tried not to laugh. She wasn't used to lying, and Mr. Bedford was so serious. _O.K. Keep the lies closer to reality_, she instructed herself. That would make it easier not to break character.

"It means I'm one of his biggest fans. It means he's someone I know I can trust." That wasn't a lie. Lilly glanced at Jack's sheet covered body. She remembered the Face of Boe's words. "I know he would never deliberately cause anyone harm. He's better than that. He always gives people plenty of chances. He doesn't fault someone for an honest mistake." Mr. Bedford turned and walked away from Lilly slowly. She gave Jack's corpse a look that could have killed him, if he was still breathing. "And he would never lock someone in a time lock in his Tardis after stealing their memories," she added angrily, just above a whisper. Mr. Bedford didn't seem to notice. He seemed like such a simple pleasant gentleman. "He's not a threat," she explained loud and clear.

"Tell me about where he comes from," he asked kindly.

"Where he comes from?"

"Yes. His planet."

"Oh, he's from all over the place. Doesn't really come from anywhere," Lilly nodded as she spoke.

"Tell me about where he was born, then?" His voice was curious.

"Oh," Lilly smiled to herself. "Time lords aren't born. But the planet where he was created, loomed they called it, is beautiful." Loomed. Why did she say loomed? She didn't have to give him that information. _It's O.K. _she reminded herself, _useless data is O.K. _Lilly knew she could keep Mr. Bedford busy for a long, long time with all the useless information she had.

"You've seen it?" Mr. Bedford was surprised. His face lit up like a he'd hit the jackpot.

"Stunning orange skies. Cities that look like giant snow globes. I've seen it." Lilly smiled. She remembered the pieces of the show and some of her favorite fan-made youtube videos showing off Gallifrey. "The Shining World of the Seven Systems in the constellation of Kasterborous. Galactic coordinates 10 0 11 0 0 by 0 2." Lilly was amazed she could still remember her 'Doctor Who' trivia so well. "You should have seen it, that old planet," she continued by stealing and embellishing David Tennants lines from when he told Martha about Gallifrey, changing his words just enough to make them her own. Lilly's plan to keep Mr. Bedford happy and distracted with useless trivia seemed to be working. "They had red grass," she added. She remembered the Master talking about his father's estates. "The children would run through fields of red grass." Lilly smiled. It was a good fairy tail.

"And where's the Doctor now?"

"Oh... I... I don't really know. It's..." Lilly thought about the Doctor so far in the future. "It's hard to explain."

"When and where will you be meeting the Doctor next?" Lilly felt Mr. Bedford's mood switch. He was through with the trivia. The man was asking the real questions now.

"I'll see him in the future," Lilly paused. "Or the past," she added almost to herself. Technically, she would see him in her own personal past, but that was also her future. _Oh, this gets complicated_, she thought.

"Where will you see him?" Mr. Bedford's voice was a little more stern.

"At this restaurant I'm supposed to go to."

"What restaurant? What's it called?" Lilly frowned. Who knew how long she had to find the pizzeria.

"Wait. Why do you care?" She thought about how the Doctor had been informed he was a prisoner of Torchwood in 'the Army of Ghosts episode.' Yvonne had told him he would be treated well in exchange for providing them with his expertise. Is that why they wanted to know where she was meeting him? For the first time Lilly dared to look Mr. Bedford right in the eyes. He had the stare of a predator, and she was his prey. Yes. They wanted to capture the Doctor. It was obvious. And with Lilly able to change the course of events, it was entirely possible they could capture him using the information she had. How would that change the course of the universe? Would the universe even survive?

"You know there are so many more interesting things I could tell you about him." Lilly tried to tempt Mr. Bedford. Maybe she could keep him distracted. She wouldn't tell him anything that might allow Torchwood to capture the Doctor. But what could she offer him?

"Where are you meeting him?" Mr. Bedford's voice was no longer reassuring or gentle.

"Like... his age. His age! He's 900 years old."

"Where. are you. meeting him?" Mr. Bedford took a controlled step towards her. His demeanor had turned frightening in that single step.

"Or... or his Tardis. His Tardis. Did you know he stole his Tardis? Well, his Tardis sort of tricked him into taking her. So, technically, she stole him. That's interesting. Right?" Lilly was frantically trying to come up with something to distract Mr. Bedford.

"Where?" His voice was like ice, quiet, unwavering, unfeeling. He took another step towards Lilly. Her heart started to pound. She glanced around the room for a way to escape. Mr. Bedford was between her and the only exit. Even if she could make it over the bed rails before he stopped her, there was no way to make it to the door.

"Did... Did you know he was on the Titanic? He saw Kennedy assassinated. World war five. He helped in the Boston tea party." Lilly was rambling little strewn together facts as fast as she could. Somehow she knew Mr. Bedford was going to hurt her. He raised his chin, and stepped one final step towards Lilly. He was right beside her now, but still blocked her path to the exit.

"Where and when?" he whispered slowly. There had to be something she could get him to back off with. What was the most interesting question she had about the Doctor?

"His name," she said. "I could tell you his name," Lilly lied. Mr. Bedford paused, waiting for her to go on. "It's not the Doctor, you know." He listened. "It's hidden. Written in the stars. In the Medusa Cascade." She remembered the lines of the girl from Pompeii. Lilly looked down at her shaking hands. She looked back up at Mr. Bedford. His expression softened and he smiled at her. Lilly started to relax. Maybe evading this man's questions would be easier than she thought. It's not like she really knew where she was supposed to be meeting the Doctor yet anyway. Why was she so scared?

Smack! Lilly was shocked when she felt the sting of the back of Mr. Bedford's hand across her face. She'd nearly tumbled out of bed. The wind was knocked out of her, and she grabbed the bed rail to keep from landing on the floor. She righted herself, put her hand on her face, and stared stunned at Mr. Bedford.

"It's a simple question, Lilly. Let's not make this more difficult than it has to be." Lilly swallowed back tears. Were they going to torture her to get the information they wanted? This couldn't be happening. Mr. Bedford was no longer just a predatory looking middle aged man. Somehow in those few moments, he'd become a frightening monster capable of the unimaginable. He was a powerful manipulator who could cause Lilly a great deal of pain. Even though he hadn't changed the least physically, he seemed bigger. And Lilly felt very small next to him.

"Please..." Lilly's voice broke. Nothing could have prepared her for the situation she was in. Things like this just didn't happen in real life.

"Let's start again. Shall we?" Mr. Bedford grinned. "Where will you see the Doctor next?" Lilly didn't answer. Her whole body was shaking. In a gentle comforting voice he rephrased his question. "Just tell me where."

"I don't know," whispered Lilly, eyes lowered to her hands.

"Fine," he said, "Have it your way." He moved towards her quickly. Lilly recoiled. He forcefully grabbed Lilly's arm, and restrained it. Methodically moving around her bed, Mr. Bedford began catching and restraining her limbs.

"We'll see how much you like pain." The phrase was so cliche, but is still scared Lilly. When she'd seen things like this on T.V., she probably would have rolled her eyes and changed the channel. But this wasn't a T.V. show. This was real. The fear was real. The pain would be real. And no good-guy was coming to save her. Finally, having Lilly completely restrained, Mr. Bedford returned to her bedside to gloat. He leaned in close to her ear. Lilly closed her eyes tight. She could feel his breath across her cheek. "You won't believe the things I'm going..." Crack! There was a muffled groan and then silence. Lilly opened her eyes to see Captain Jack standing next to her. He'd lowered the bed rail, and was removing her restraints.

"Hey, sweet heart." Jack smiled down at her.

"Oh, Jack!" Lilly started to cry. She reached out and hugged the stranger. He returned her embrace, holding her tightly against his chest as she sobbed. "I thought... I thought..."

"I know. It's alright. I've got you." Jack held her while she sobbed, rubbing her back until her tears stopped and her trembling body calmed. "As much as I love a good cuddle, what do you say we pick this up somewhere a little more private?" She let him go. Jack smirked, and Lilly blushed. _How does he do that?!_ She looked down at Mr. Bedford's broken body, while Jack quickly unstrapped her ankles.

"Wow, Lilly." He reached for her hand to help her off the hospital bed. "I haven't seen you blush like that since I first came on board the Tardis. Nice to know I haven't lost my touch." She probably would have been more affected by Jack's new flirt, but she was staring at Mr. Bedford.

"You killed him." She'd never seen a dead body before.

"Oh, he had it comin'." Jack was busy looking through the cupboards. "Interrogated a good friend of mine a few years back." She saw anger flash across Jack's face. "He didn't make it." Lilly looked back at Mr. Bedford. She was relieved he was dead. Was that wrong? To be relieved someone had been murdered sounded wrong. She kicked his lifeless leg with her bare foot. It twitched, and she scampered across the room, frantically keeping her eyes on the corpse.

"Woe. Easy there." Jack looked up at Lilly while removing a plastic tub from one of the cupboard shelves. "He's dead. He can't hurt you." Jack looked at her questioningly, like she wasn't behaving the way he knew she should behave. "Where are you in your time line?" He tossed Lilly a plastic bag from the tub as he asked.

"Just... I don't know." She sidestepped the question, because she didn't know how to answer. "What's this?"

"You're clothes. Torchwood standard procedure. All evidence from a scene is kept together until processed." Lilly was staring at him. She was staring at the real Captain Jack, not the Face of Boe, but Jack. He was the most attractive man she had ever seen. It wasn't just the way he looked which was nice. Jack had a presence around him, something that made Lilly want to be close to him. "You're staring. I don't mind, but we're in a bit of a hurry." Lilly looked down at the bag in her hand. "Not that I don't love how you look in what you're wearing, but escaping might be a little easier if you're dressed."

"Oh," she said. "Right." She looked back up at Jack. "Turn around." He rolled his eyes, but did as she asked. "How come you aren't in a hospital gown?" She turned her back towards him and started pulling on her jeans.

"They must have thought I was dead." He didn't mention he was immortal. "Didn't try to resuscitate me. You, on the other hand, are very lucky to be alive."

"Yeah. What was that? Some kind of weapon or something?" She still felt shaken, and her body felt weak.

"Time agent failsafe. It's part of the design of every vortex manipulator. It sends out a lethal electrical shock, if a time agent gets too close to himself while crossing his own time line. Supposed to prevent paradoxes. Idiots. Half the failsafes the agency uses would create the paradox they're trying to prevent. One week traveling with the Doctor and they'd have to rewrite every rule in the book."

"That shock must have been what you were trying to warn me about just before I jumped."

"Me? So, I sent you." Lilly turned back around as she was pulling on her shirt only to catch a glimpse of Jack quickly looking away. Lilly's mouth dropped open_. You dirty old man_, she thought. "Which means you're from my future," Jack went on. "Suppose you'd have to be since you recognized me. Question is where and when do I need to be to sync up with your time line. Are you still traveling with the Doctor?" Lilly pulled on her jacket before she answered.

"Sort of." Jack glanced back to see Lilly was dressed. He turned around to face her. She looked at her vortex manipulator. "Why isn't it killing me now?"

"Must have burned out. It's probably why you're still alive." He had a look of relief on his face. "You didn't receive a full shock. Here, let me take a look." Jack moved to her device.

"Why didn't they take it? I mean a time travel device has got to be a hot commodity. They left my cast alone too." Jack looked at her, puzzled.

"Cast?"

"Yeah." Lilly fingered the blue fabric on her arm. "They didn't touch it." Jack looked at the fabric as though he was seeing it for the first time.

"The manipulator can't be removed by anyone except the time agent wearing it. Failsafe."

"I guess that's smart."

"Not really. Just results in a whole lot of time agents with missing limbs. As far as your cast, I have no idea. It does kinda remind me of the way the Tardis blends into things though. Is it time lord tech?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess it is." _Perception filter_, thought Lilly. But if it had a perception filter, why was the Doctor worried about leaving her behind with it. No one could see it. There was no way anyone could steal the technology. It didn't make sense. Did he lie about the cast? No. No, they had a deal. Maybe she just misunderstood. What would be the point of lying about a stupid cast? She'd have to ask him about it when she got back... if... if she got back.

"Yeah," said Jack, looking at the ancient vortex manipulator. "Everything's drained except emergency auxiliary. That's the memory. The thing's barely functioning." Jack look quizzically at Lilly. "How old is this it?"

"Really old. You wouldn't believe how old. It's safe, though. Right?" Jack nodded. "Kay. So, next question. How are we going to get out of here? And how come this room isn't full of security or something. They've got cameras all over." She pointed to the cameras on the ceiling.

"Nobody likes to watch Mr. Psycho work. Too graphic." He pointed to the corpse. "No one's watching, but that can change in an instant. Which is why we'll be leaving shortly, with this." Jack held up Lilly's wrist, and pointed at her manipulator.

"But you just said it was dead." _Oh_, worried Lilly, _I won't be able to make it back to Platform One. _He began pushing buttons on Lilly's manipulator.

"It seems to be having some problem holding a charge. But I can transfer the power from my vortex manipulator to yours. And then we can jump out of here. We could go almost anywhere. What do you think, Lilly? Maybe we could find the Doctor."

"Won't it shock us again, if you recharge it?"

"I've reprogrammed yours to play music instead. I have to leave mine as is, so it can shock you in its future. We don't want to create a paradox."

"Nice," said Lilly sarcastically. She grimaced. "And why didn't you do that before? I mean why didn't you disarm your manipulator along time ago, before you met me."

"I didn't have the security codes before." Lilly looked puzzled at Jack. "Someone programed them onto the first page of your manipulator's memory files. Probably me." Jack grinned. "Paradox. Isn't time travel fun." He started copying files from one glorified wrist watch to the other. "Hey! These are the files I need to replace the burned out files on **my** manipulator." Jack grinned like he'd just hit the jackpot.

Without warning Lilly's manipulator sparked. She jumped, and the smell of burned wires filled the room, smoke wafting from the mechanism on her wrist filling the room.

"No." He cursed. Jack's disappointment showed in his face. He scanned the smoking manipulator with his, and shook his head. "It burned out the quinit chip."

"And that means..."

"It means it can't access the vortex... ever." She looked at him in surprise.

"I'm stuck." Lilly coughed on the smoke. "I'll never travel with the Doctor." He wouldn't know what happened to her, and all those people would still die on Platform One.

"What do you mean you'll never travel with the Doctor?" The smoke alarm sounded. "We've got to go." Two security officers rushed into the room, quickly drawing their guns. Jack cursed, grabbed Lilly's hand, and pressed it to his manipulator. "Here goes noth..." And they were gone.

Disjointed images shattered through her mind. She saw pieces of her family's faces, but they weren't her family. There was something moving next to her, but it wasn't moving. Was that Jack? She couldn't breathe. It was as if she was flat. She had no thickness, but she was still the same. Her body was starting to come apart. She could feel it. Reality slammed back into Lilly, knocking her to the ground.

Slowly she got to her feet. Lilly looked around the alleyway they had landed in. She didn't hurt as bad as last time. She actually felt kinda good, like a buzz. She was dizzy and a bit disoriented, but otherwise felt fine. _O.K. That was different_. Lilly noticed Jack trembling on the ground. She knelt next to him, putting her hand on his back.

"It's O.K. Just breathe." Jack's body shook. He pushed himself up to a seated position, and leaned against the wall. His eyes were still closed. Lilly sat down next to him. It was at least ten minutes before he started to blink his eyes open. He looked over at her.

"Woe!" He shook his head. "Worse than an all night hypervodka hangover." Lilly helped him stand up. "We've got to get going."

"You can barely stand up." He was standing with one hand against the wall, legs trembling under his weight.

"I'll live. We can't stay here. Torchwood watches for anomalies on the CCTV. They'll be coming for us." With sheer determination Jack led the way towards the sidewalk.

"Why don't we just jump someplace safer?"

"It has to recharge, and that might take too long." They reached the sidewalk and headed south. He was walking better now, and seemed to be alright.

"How did you know where I was?" Lilly looked up at Jack. "Last night. How did you know where to find me?"

"The note."

"What note?"

"The note you gave me on Satellite Five." Lilly looked puzzled. "I was already on my way to the second time and place listed on your note, when I overheard Torchwood One dispatch sending agents to the same address. I tried to get there sooner, but traffic was a... never mind. I programmed the first address and time into my vortex manipulator right after you folks left me. I'm sure that was an accident, by the way." He gave her a quick glance. "At the time I thought it was a time address where we were supposed to meet up. But I bounced. The memory burned out some crucial files, so I ended up way off target and stuck. Never bothered to change the jump sight. The real question is what's so special about here and now."

"Here and now?"

"We landed at the first address you gave me. So, what's up? Are we meeting up with the Doc?" But Lilly had never been to Satellite Five. _This could cause a paradox_, thought Lilly. The information Jack was giving her wasn't from the alternate universe, so it wasn't safe.

"Jack?" He kept up his fast pace, with Lilly almost running to keep up. "Jack, I've never been to Satellite Five." Jack stopped and turned abruptly, eyes wide.

"What do you mean?"

"Jack this is..." Lilly thought about the Face of Boe. Could she tell him about his future? Did the information come from this universe or hers? Better to error on the side of caution. "Jack, this is the first time we've met. I've never seen you before today."

"Hey, Lilly. I know for a fact you recognized me." His face was stern. "And you've got my vortex manipulator. You said I warned you about something just before you jumped. How..."

"O.K. You were there. Let me be more clear. This is the youngest version of you I've ever met. I'm from an altern..." Torchwood vehicles abruptly screeched and stopped blocking the intersection.

"This way!" shouted Jack. He pulled Lilly along behind him, down another alley way and ducking just inside the side entrance of a restaurant. The sun was setting. Lilly was grateful for that. The darkness would help to hide them.

"Don't you have any friends you can call?" She was thinking about Jack's Torchwood team. Maybe this was too early in Jack's time line. Maybe he didn't have a team yet. Lilly leaned against the wall, and closed her eyes. "Someone who can help," she added. Her body screamed from all the punishment it had been through.

"They'd pick up on the call. They'd find us in minutes." Jack was breathing a little heavy from running. "Torchwood One has way too much power," he added. Jack was staring over the tops of some plastic decorative plants inside the restaurant as he spoke. He swallowed. Lilly followed his gaze.

"Rose," whispered Lilly. Jack looked at her.

"So, you know Rose." Jack was looking for more information about Lilly's time line.

"Yeah. Just met her today, actually. I left her and the Doctor on Platform One, and came here to stop a paradox." Jack was really listening now. They could see Rose and a plastic Mickey sitting at a table together.

"What paradox?"

"I've got to convince my younger self to get on the Tardis or I won't ever meet the Doctor. She should be here in just a minute." Jack was dumbfounded. What a time line mess!

"Alright. So I meet you on Platform One, and lend you my vortex manipulator to stop this paradox. But if you're at Platform One in you're time line..." Jack quickly started removing his vortex manipulator. "Take that off," he said, pointing to her manipulator.

"What are you doing?" Jack was busy pushing buttons.

"Sending you back."

"What?"

"Lilly, if you're only at Platform One, you've got to go back or we'll never meet. And that's a paradox in **so** many ways. I'm copying the return address from your manipulator to mine, adding a few minutes. With the files I've already downloaded from your manipulator, mine should get you where you need to go."

"But what about you? You need your vortex manipulator. You're supposed to have it."

"I will. I'll have the future version. The computer still works. It just can't time travel without a working quinit chip." He strapped the working vortex manipulator to Lilly's wrist.

"Jack..." Jack pulled Lilly to the floor before she could finish her sentence.

"Two agents just came in the front door," he whispered. They peeked through the plastic plants. Lilly and Jack could see the younger Lilly standing in the walkway with a large camping backpack on her shoulders. She had a startled look on her face.

"Just tell me one thing, Lilly. When and where can I find the Doctor?" Lilly was surprised at the question. Jack sighed. "I know you have an extra sense. And I really shouldn't be telling you this. But someday you and I are really close. I know sometimes you see the future. So I'm asking. No. I'm begging. Please. If you know. When and where can I find **my** Doctor?" Lilly looked into Jack's desperate eyes. Here was a man who had been looking for the Doctor for over a hundred years. Lilly remembered how he changed his mind after the year that never was. The Doctor invited Jack to travel with him, and he declined the invitation. What could have been so horrendous during the Master's rule that Jack decided not to travel with the Doctor after searching for him for so long? Could she change things enough to prevent the year that never was? "Please," he begged.

"I don't know exactly when. A couple more years?" Lilly was trying to remember what year Martha was from. She felt bad. She could remember spacial coordinates to Gallifrey, but couldn't remember a stupid year. "Why don't you just go camp out near Rose's apartment? The Doctor stops there all the time. Sometimes he's even there for days." That could prevent the year that never was. Right?

"It's too risky. If I'm spotted at the wrong time, I could create a huge paradox." Jack frowned. Lilly remembered the Sycorax would come at Christmas time. The Doctor would be at the apartment for several days. And Jack's time line would match the Doctor's. Lilly smiled. With the information she had from the other dimension, she could prevent almost every tragedy in the show.

"Jack, there are so many things about the future I'm going to tell you. I..."

"No!" Jack cut her off with a strong whisper. Lilly's eyebrows knitted together. "I shouldn't have asked." He swallowed hard and pressed his lips together. "I was taking advantage. You're too early in your time line to understand how dangerous sharing future information can be. You haven't been training with the Doctor yet." Jack suddenly looked sheepish, like he had just let some crucial secret slip. "I'm sorry I asked. Don't tell me anything." They were both silent for a long moment.

Lilly started thinking about future events. She wanted to help Jack. He'd been suffering too long. She wanted to warn him about the Master, so he wouldn't have to endure a year of hell. She knew her insight on the Master came from her universe, so it was safe to share. No paradox. She could still tell him to go to Rose's place when the Sycorax showed up. How could that be a bad thing? The Tardis had run to the end of the universe when Jack had touched her before. If Jack came in contact with an empty Tardis parked outside of Rose's apartment while the Doctor was sick, would she still run to the end of the universe? A very frightening thought came to Lilly. What if the Tardis ran to the end of the universe without the Doctor inside. And somehow the Master woke up, stole Jack's Tardis key, and gained full possession of the last working Tardis! The Doctor wouldn't be there to stop him, and the Master could go anywhere in all of space and time. Lilly swallowed. Jack was right. She couldn't tell him anything that might change events. _Alright_, she thought,_ I won't change events_. She smiled. _I'll just give him some comfort_.

"You find him just outside of your Torchwood hub. He'll stop there to refuel."

"Lilly!" Jack's face was serious.

"I haven't said anything that would change future events. I've just given you a little hope. You deserve that much." Jack's face softened.

"Thank you," he said, and hugged her. The hug felt so good. Lilly didn't want him to ever let go. He released his grip, reached into his pocket, and handed Lilly a laminated piece of paper. "Go fix that paradox." Jack instantly stood up and left before she could tell him anything more. She looked through the plastic plants to see the Torchwood agents making their way towards her younger self. Jack was about to head them off. Lilly frowned. Why didn't she just tell him not to touch the Tardis? That could have prevented the year that never was without any nasty consequences. If only she'd more time to explain things. She wanted to do so much more for Jack. _It's O.K._, she told herself. _I'll just tell the Doctor everything when I get back. Jack will never even have to know the Master existed_. The Torchwood agents took the bate. They were following Jack. The coast was clear.

Lilly crept up beside herself, keeping an eye out for Torchwood. It was surreal to see herself from the outside. She noticed how graceful her younger self seemed, even while carrying camping gear. How could this be real? Lilly shook her head. _Get it together, Lilly_.

"Hello," Lilly started. What could she say to herself? The younger Lilly looked almost terrified. _She needs to calm down_, thought Lilly. _What did I say? _Lilly looked down at the cast on her arm. "You fell."

"What?"

"When you were hiking, you fell. You hurt your arm. Probably dislocated something. They say that hurts worse than a broken bone. Not fun." The younger Lilly just stared. _You're not buying it. Oh, I'm too smart for my own good. How do I make this more believable. _"The pain medicine is making you hallucinate. You'll be fine." _O.K. O.K. I believed that. Now, how did I shift this into getter me on the Tardis. Fun. Make it fun. _"But you should have fun while you're dreaming." Lilly noticed the Torchwood agents return in her peripheral vision. Jack must have given them the slip. But they were making their way back here! Lilly tried to smile like there was nothing wrong. Younger Lilly still didn't look convinced. _Oh, come on._ "Like I said. Drug hallucination. It will seem more real than a dream." Lilly thought about the pain her younger self would be suffering very soon. "You might even incorporate any real pain into your illusion."

"I don't hurt." The younger Lilly scrunched up her nose. Lilly's eyes widened. She'd no idea she looked like that. _This is so weird. Come on. Come on. Just fall for it_. "I'm hallucinating." _Yes!_

"Yup. Don't worry. You'll be fine in a few hours when the drugs wear off. But you should have some fun while you're here." Younger Lilly slid off her backpack and set it on the ground.

"What do you mean, fun?" _O.K. This is it._

"Make sure you get on the Tardis. Can you imagine how cool this dream... uh... hallucination will be. Getting to see the Tardis, and all that." Lilly tried to sound excited, but she could see the Torchwood agents methodically making their way towards them. It was just a matter of time before they would be seen. Lilly's hands started to tremble. _Oh, I hate that_. She held on to her hands to hide the shaking. She looked at Rose and Mickey's table. _Come on, Doctor. How much longer is this going to take?_ She kept her face and body angle turned away, so the agents wouldn't notice her but she could still see them.

Lilly saw the Doctor moving towards Rose and Mickey. She let out a quiet sigh of relief. It wouldn't be much longer until this was over. She watched the Doctor show off his champagne, and felt the strongest sense of deja vu.

Lilly glanced down at the camping pack on the floor. That pack held everything she owned, a change of clothes, twenty bucks, and her Ipod. Everything else was just camping gear. Lilly frowned. Everything she owned was reduced to a single bag. She was suddenly very grateful she brought her Ipod.

"What do you need to bring your Ipod for?" her mom had nagged. "It's not really camping, if you bring your electronics." But Lilly hadn't listened. Her Ipod had her whole life in its memory, pictures and music and videos. _Videos! _Lilly had 'Doctor Who' episodes downloaded form Itunes on there! She could show those to the Doctor. Then he would** know** she was from an alternate universe. She smiled excitedly.

"I'll watch your stuff," Lilly offered. She couldn't wait to grab her Ipod. "When the moment comes, go that way." She pointed. "Into the kitchen, through the hallway on the right. That's the RIGHT hallway, not the left. And then go through a metal door to get outside. You know the way. Remember the show?"

"Yeah, but not THAT much detail." _Good grief. It's not that difficult._ She was quickly losing patience with herself.

"Just do as I said. Get on the Tardis." The younger Lilly gave the older Lilly a distrustful look. Lilly's mind ran through everything she had suffered in the last day and a half. Filled with regret she added, "Just...just trust me. Nothing bad will happen. It's just a dream. Get on the Tardis. You won't regret it." What a lie! What a complete and utter lie! She would regret it. She regretted it right now.

She looked up towards the Doctor, and saw one of the Torchwood officers staring directly at her younger self. A chill of fear ran up her spine. "It's almost time. Be ready to run." Lilly's eyes stayed on the menacing looking men in suits coming towards them. She swallowed, and gritted her teeth. The Doctor started fighting with the plastic Mickey, distracting the men from Torchwood. Rose pulled the fire alarm. "Go!" She gave her younger self a shove, turned around, pulling her hood tightly over her head, and hoped it was enough to throw the Torchwood agents off of her scent.

Out of the corner of Lilly's eye she saw herself, Rose, the Doctor, and the plastic Mickey tear past her. They were followed by the two Torchwood agents. One of them had drawn his gun. Patrons ran from the restaurant.

"Oh my gosh!" whispered Lilly as she turned back around, watching the agents disappear into the kitchen. She'd no idea she'd been chased by Torchwood agents.

Quickly, with shaking hands, she knelt next to her pack. It was too heavy to run with, and the only thing she really needed was her Ipod. So, she wasn't going to take the whole thing. She reached for the zipper, but her hands were shaking so badly she couldn't get it open while holding the paper Jack had given her.

_The paper. I forgot._ Lilly looked down at the paper in her hand. It looked like it was a hundred years old. Only the laminate was holding it together. It was yellow and tarnished, and the writing on it wasn't familiar. It was a simple note to Jack, giving him two addresses with times. As Lilly read the note, suddenly the writing became skewed, and changed. It no longer looked like English. Instead, it appeared to be some weird alien writing. _O.K. That was weird_. A moment later the writing changed back into English. _That's freaky_, thought Lilly. _Figure it out later_. She stuffed the paper into her pocket, and went back to the zipper on her pack. Without the paper hindering her progress, Lilly was able to grab her Ipod, still attached to her headphones. She slid them into her pocket.

"FREEZE!," shouted a Torchwood agent, gun drawn and pointed at Lilly. Her heart skipped a beat. She didn't move. Lilly squeezed her eyes shut. "Stand up nice and slow. Hands where I can see 'em." She obeyed. The menacing suited man was not smiling. Where was his partner?

"Easy there." It was Jack. He was approaching from Lilly's left, walking between empty tables. His hands were raised, and she could see blood all over his shirt. He must have been shot. "We don't want to do anything rash."

"Don't move," commanded the agent. "I'll shoot," he warned. Jack kept moving slowly towards them.

"I'm surrendering," Jack told him.

"That's far enough." Jack kept coming closer to Lilly.

"You should jump," said Jack, looking at the agent.

"I said stop," ordered the agent.

"You should jump to the Doctor." _Oh!_ Lilly thought in surprise. She hadn't realized he was talking to her. She glanced at the vortex manipulator on her wrist. Had it been long enough to recharge? What about Jack? If it had recharged enough to jump, why couldn't they jump somewhere together.

"What are on about?" shouted the agent, "This is your last warning. I said stop." Jack stopped. Lilly quickly reached for the manipulator. She pushed to button. Nothing happened. The agents eyes went wide. He'd suddenly noticed the item strapped to Lilly's wrist. Thinking it was a weapon, he fired his gun. Jack leaped between Lilly and the agent, catching the bullet meant for her. She froze, her hand hovering over the manipulator. The smell of blood misted the air. Lilly could taste it. Jack hit the ground with an empty thud. It wasn't like the movies, when someone was shot. He wasn't instantly dead. Jack was gasping on the ground as his already soaked shirt was flooded with fresh crimson fluid.

"Jaaaaack!" she screamed. Time felt like it was moving at half speed. The Torchwood agent was shouting something too slowly to be understood. Jack's eyes stared into Lilly's, blinking in slow motion. He stopped blinking. He stopped trembling. He stopped gasping. The color in his eyes was replaced with black as his pupils relaxed, and became fully dilated. His skin turned gray. "Jack," Lilly choked out a broken whisper. She dropped to her knees by his side, but couldn't touch him.

"I said, 'HANDS UP!'" shouted the agent. Lilly raised her hands. She stared down at Jack's body. He'd saved her... again. Tears started to well up in her eyes, but she made no sound. They'd managed to fix the paradox, but hadn't gotten away. This was too much. This wasn't supposed to happen. This wasn't supposed to be real!

The Torchwood agent touched the listening device in his ear. He was receiving orders. "Understood," he said to his boss. He raised his gun with intent towards Lilly. "Sorry, it's orders." Lilly's eyes widened when she realized what he meant. The rendevous with the Doctor had been missed, so Torchwood no longer needed her. He'd been ordered to kill her. There was no place to run, no place to hide.

"Please," she begged.

Like an answer to a prayer, plastic plants next to the agent reached out and grabbed him. It was the Nestine Consciousness starting its attack. Startled, the gun went off, narrowly missing Lilly. She'd jump back away from the sound. He began to struggle with the plastic. It was wrapping its thorny vines around him. He looked at Lilly like it was her fault. Ignoring the constricting vines around his neck, he aimed his weapon carefully at her. Lilly tried to quickly crab walk backwards away from him, only to be grabbed by plastic vines herself. She glanced at the gun pointed towards her. Straining to move, she reached for the vortex manipulator, and pressed the button.

When the deadly shots hit their mark, Lilly was no longer there. The vortex manipulator had finally recharged, and Lilly was speeding her way to the safety of Platform One.


	7. Chapter 7: Death

I don't own Doctor Who.

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Chapter 7: Death

Lilly landed hard on her back knocking the wind out of her. The time jump had been a relatively easy trip, but the landing had made up for it. She tried to hold completely still until she could breathe again. Slowly, she opened her eyes. She felt disoriented. A small space craft flew by the crystal clear ceiling above her, as tiny specks of starlight twinkled in the background behind it. She noticed the Face of Boe's entourage staring down at her. The men had orange skin and were covered in brightly colored robes that reminded Lilly of some kind of kung fu movie.

_Jack!_ thought Lilly, trembling. She ignored the pain in her broken arm as she covered her face with her hands. Her tears for him were still threatening to fall. She'd just seen him die. He'd died for her, to save her. Watching the show, she would have thought, _whatever, he'll be fine in a minute_. But seeing what he went through was very different. The tortured look on his face, his pain, the smell of death after he'd gone, and knowing the fact that Captain Jack never knew for sure if he would come back again, crushed Lilly's spirit. She let out a sob. That man had won himself a very special place in Lilly's heart.

Suddenly, the whole station shook with a deafening thunder-like noise.

No!

Lilly sat up abruptly. _That's not supposed to happen yet! _She scrambled to her feet, wiping her tears off of her face. This wasn't over. The aliens backed away to give her room.

"Honored guests may be reassured that gravity pockets may cause slight turbulence. Thanking you." Lilly heard the stewards voice.

Platform One wasn't supposed to have 'gravity pockets' until after Rose and the Doctor had their argument in the private viewing room. That would mean Rose had already spoken with Raffalo. Lilly's heart sank. She'd missed her opportunity to warn the Doctor about the plumber. Raffalo would be dead. Lilly covered her frown with her hand, and turned frantically around the room. How had the spiders killed her? What had she suffered? The idea of dying in an air duct, killed by spiders sent a cold feeling of dread through Lilly. She clenched her jaw and tightened her hands into fists to keep from falling apart.

Her fear and terror turned to anger, anger like she'd never felt before. She was angry at the Nestine Consciousness for all the people it killed. She was furious with Torchwood for terrorizing her and murdering Jack. She was angry Cassandra had killed Raffalo. And she was furious Cassandra was about to murder so many more. Lilly's heart pounded in her ears. _Is this what rage feels like? _She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She purposefully unclenched her jaw. _Stay calm_, she told herself, trying to pull it together. She turned to the orange men.

"You have to begin evacuating this station," she ordered in the most authoritive voice she could muster. She may have sounded calm, but inside she was in turmoil. An alien stepped forward holding open the ornate gold box the vortex manipulator had been stored in. Apparently, she was expected to return it. Lilly began removing the device while she spoke.

"Did you understand what I said?!" she asked. "This station isn't safe! You've got to evacuate or people are going to die!" She placed the vortex manipulator hurriedly back into its cradle, and the alien closed the lid. Lilly jumped, startled when the solid looking decorative pieces on the outside of the box moved systematically locking the lid in place with a loud click. The aliens chuckled at her.

"It's just a gravity pocket, Miss Lilly," one of the aliens spoke up. "And that is just a simple lock box." He pointed to the golden chest. "A woman from the past wouldn't be familiar with the realities of life in the present. Trust us. You are safe here. Though all this must seem like magic to you." His voice was condescending.

"Where's the Face of Boe?" Lilly moved quickly towards the exit as she spoke. Maybe **he** could get at least some of the people evacuated.

"He has returned to his other duties," one of the other aliens stated. "You are only one of the many problems the great and wise Face of Boe has to solve." The alien raised his head, and looked down at her like she was some kind of inconvenience.

"If you stay, you die. I've seen the future." Lilly didn't waste anymore time talking. It was obvious they weren't going to listen. She ran back into the main room. She had to find and warn the Doctor. He could still solve this.

The main room was filled to capacity with aliens. _When did so many aliens arrive?_ They were all in danger. Every precious life filling the room was in peril. It was hard to maneuver through them, especially with so many children underfoot. Lilly found the only way to get through the crowd was to press herself through the visitors, hurting her broken arm as she went. She was greeted with exasperated comments.

"How rude!"

"What's your problem?"

"Were you born on Flagara or something?" Lilly ignored them. She just kept pressing until she reached an area where the number of guests thinned. Finally, Lilly could see the doorway at the other end of the room. Next to it stood the Doctor and Rose talking with Jabe. The Doctor and Jabe turned to leave, and Rose headed off in another direction.

"Doctor!" Lilly shouted. But he hadn't heard her over the noise of the crowd. Lilly managed the last thirty yards to the doorway. She stepped through, and looked quickly from right to left. The Doctor was no where to be seen. She was too late. "AAA!" shouted Lilly. She smacked the wall with the palm of her hand. Her arm screamed in protest.

She grabbed her aching forearm in response to the pain, and was surprised to feel something hard. Lilly looked at it. There was a hole in the sleeve of her jacket. Puzzled, she quickly removed it. She pulled her long sleeve out of the way, noticing it had a hole too. She was stunned. Imbedded in the cast was a bullet. Trails of what looked like static electricity ran through the cast in a web like pattern with the bullet as the starting point, the center.

Lilly's mouth dropped open. That bullet would have killed her. The soft cloth cast had somehow stopped a bullet. If she hadn't been wearing the cast, and hadn't had her arm tucked against her chest in exactly the right way at exactly the right moment, that bullet would have killed her. She would have died like Jack, gasping for breath in pain. It would have been her eyes that turned dark. The vision of Jack's horrific death dance before her eyes. Leaning with her back against the wall, she squeezed her eyes shut, pushing the memory away. She couldn't think about this now. _Focus. Focus. Focus_.

"I wish I was home." Lilly clenched her jaw and slid down the wall to sit on the floor. She used her jacket to cover her face. It became her shield against the world around her.

_What do I do?_ Honestly, before she'd seen the aliens in person, she hadn't cared about any of them dying. And with as frightening as things had gotten, part of her just wanted to leave. She wanted to be safe. But she couldn't get home. She couldn't jump back to this dimension's Earth either without the vortex manipulator. She couldn't get back into the Tardis where it was safe without a key. She couldn't even warn the Doctor ahead of time now. By the time the Doctor made it back to the main room, he would already know what was going on. The same people who died on the show were going to die here. Lilly shuttered. She couldn't help caring about them, especially after what she had just witnessed minutes ago. They would die. They would suffer just like Jack. She thought about the beige alien suffering on the floor. She thought about the Mox of Balhoon's chard remains. She thought about Jabe.

_No. _Lilly looked up, uncovering her face_. I can still save Jabe. All I have to do is wait here until the Doctor and Jabe get back. I'll take her place. _Lilly wasn't made of wood. She wouldn't burn like Jabe did. Lilly plucked the smashed bullet from her cast, and tossed it. The electric webbing stopped its sparkle, but an indented burn mark remained in the cast. Climbing back to her feet, the thought that Jabe would survive comforted Lilly. It gave her something good to focus on. She tied her jacket around her waste, and walked back into the main room. Maybe she could still do more. If Lilly could find Jack again, he could help evacuate everyone. It was his party after all.

Lilly began looking around the room. It didn't feel as busy or overwhelming as before, but she couldn't see the Face of Boe anywhere. She saw Rose and Cassandra visiting near the giant window. Rose did not look happy. She was frowning at Cassandra.

Lilly remembered what the Face of Boe had said when they first met. He'd said she could even convince Cassandra not to kill everyone. Lilly's heart soared. Had Jack been trying to tell her what to do? Maybe no one else had to die today. Maybe she could convince Cassandra her plans wouldn't work. Without thinking Lilly quickly pressed her way towards the last human. She had an idea.

"...not human. You've had it all nipped and tucked and flattened until there's nothing left." Lilly heard Rose as she approached. Oh, this wasn't good. What if Lilly's presence somehow changed what Cassandra did to Rose? Rose could die. Lilly grimaced for a moment and hesitated. Could she risk it? She heard the sound of some alien child asking his daddy for a treat from the desert table in the background. With so many families on board, how could she not risk it? She couldn't stand by and watch them burn. Maybe she could trick Cassandra into forgetting about her revenge against Rose too. "Anything human got chucked in the bin. You're just skin, Cassandra. Lipsti..."

"Oh, please don't mind Rose," Lilly interrupted. She nervously stepped forward. Could she really do this? Could she play this part?

Lilly stared at the last human. It was like looking at a living sheet of paper. With every beat of Cassandra's heart (wherever **that** was located), she could see her blood pulse through her veins. She was completely smooth except for the tiny wrinkles around her eyes and mouth. She smelled like an old person's house, moth balls and body odor. And when she spoke, the sound came from underneath her, instead of from her mouth. _No voice box_, thought Lilly. Again, the show didn't do this reality justice. Cassandra felt truly alien. Lilly swallowed down her trepidation, clenched her jaw, and focused on what she planned to do.

"She's just jealous. Wouldn't know a real human, if her life depended on it." Lilly gave Rose a look, pleading with her to understand. Rose looked back at Lilly in surprise. _What's going on? _wondered Rose_. _

"Didn't the Doctor tell you not to start a fight?" Lilly asked her, trying to give her a hint. Rose was shocked. _How did she know that?_ thought Rose. _She wasn't even th... Fortune telling. She's fortune telling._ Turning back to Cassandra, Lilly continued. "She does have a bit of a chin. Doesn't she?"

"I'm sorry. What?!" Rose was surprised.

"That's what I said," stated Cassandra. "Moisturize me. Moisturize me."

"You know, she's not worth getting upset with," Lilly's hands trembled. She felt like she did when she had to get up in front of a large crowd to give a speech. But if she messed up this act, people would die. _Think about it later_, Lilly told herself. She reached down and rubbed her hands together, hiding her fear. Rose glanced at Lilly's hands, and then back to her face. "Not fifteen minutes ago, she was even mistaken for a prostitute," Lilly spat out the insult. Rose's mouth dropped open.

"I can't believe you said that." Rose gave Lilly a look of shock and embarrassment. She immediately felt guilty. Hurting Rose was the last thing she'd wanted to do. Maybe she was making a mistake. Maybe she should just take Rose aside, and tell her what was going on. If Rose stayed in the main room, Cassandra's men couldn't hurt her. Right? She would be safe.

In the few hours Lilly had known the Doctor, she had compromised her morals. She'd become a liar. And now she'd become cruel. She knew she was hurting Rose. But she couldn't stop. Rose wasn't the only one Lilly was trying to save. If she was going to try to convince Cassandra not to kill everyone, she had to do it now. She didn't have time to explain what was going on to Rose. She would just have to apologize later, and hope Rose understood.

"I don't have to listen to this," Rose said, looking Lilly in the eyes. Cassandra giggled as Rose walked away. Lilly shifted her weight nervously.

"Oh, that was marvelous," said Cassandra. "Did you see the look on that chav's face?" Lilly pressed her lips together, and forced a smile.

"Like I said," Lilly added, "She's not worth it." Lilly pulled her eyes off of Rose just before she disappeared into the crowd. "I'm Lilly, by the way. Lilly Brooks. And I have some information you may benefit from."

"Oh, I'm all ears." Cassandras scratchy voice grated on Lilly's guilt.

"I know what you're planning to do to Platform One."

"What? Moisturize me. Moisturize me."

"I know about the sabotage and taking hostages and the teleport hidden in the giant egg." Cassandra's eyes widened.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"I also know it won't work. I can help you Cassandra."

"What do you mean?" She carried the last syllable of her sentence out, and cautiously listened. _O.K_. thought Lilly, _Here we go._

"I can see the future. I'm a... a psychic." Lilly used Jack's word. The stress in her back and shoulders tightened with the lie. "If you go through with what you're planning, you'll die. Well, dry out and explode."

"I don't believe a word." Cassandra was short, but she didn't try to leave. "My clones would never let me dry out."

"You get separated from them." Lilly paused. "How else could I possibly know about your planned sabotage, if I wasn't psychic." She waited for Cassandra to respond, but she said nothing. _What if this doesn't work?_ worried Lilly. Did she misunderstand Jack's meaning? Was she completely wrong about him trying to tell her what to do? Did they not believe in psychics in the future?

"Look. I'll prove to you I know what I'm talking about." Lilly remembered the film Rose had seen on New Earth just before Cassandra possessed her. "There was this party you went to... years ago." Lilly closed her eyes, pretending to be psychic. "You were blond. You wore a beautiful silver dress. And... and there was this man. This funny looking man. He came up to you and told you you were beautiful. You said thank you, but he stopped you and told you again. Then he died in your arms." Lilly opened her eyes, and looked at Cassandra. "That was the last time anyone told you you were beautiful. After that it just became hard work." Lilly quoted the show. "I am psychic. I can see through time. And I'm warning you. If you continue with your hostage plan, you will die."

A tear formed in the corner of Cassandra's eye, and her servant quickly dabbed it with a handkerchief. Lilly was surprised. _She believes me! _The anger she'd felt towards this woman softened a bit. She could see her loneliness. This woman just wanted to be loved and cherished. And the only way she could feel important was to be mutilated into what the current society said was beautiful. _What an empty life_, Lilly grieved for her. "Let me help you, Cassandra." Cassandra cleared her throat.

"Oh, you want to help. Do you?" Cassandra paused. Her acidic personality was back. "I suppose you want a portion of the profit too."

"No, Cassa..."

"I suppose I could cut you in for thirty percent. Provided you keep your mouth shut. You know, on second thought, with that gift of yours we could make trillions together."

"Cassan..."

"Forget a hostage crisis. I have a few business deals that could make me... uh, us a lot more money than this little venture. What do you think? How about we talk after the party?"

"Uh...O.K." Lilly was stunned. Had that actually worked? Was Cassandra going to stop the sabotage? One of the clones leaned down to whisper something to Cassandra. _No way_, thought Lilly suspiciously. _She's up to something._

"Oh, you'll have to excuse me. The Earl of Rab wishes to meet me." Cassandra smiled. "My public awaits," she added dramatically. Cassandra turned to leave.

"Cassandra," Lilly called after her. She turned back, and Lilly stepped closer. "Promise me. Forget the sabotage. **No one **gets hurt. And you'll have a deal. Thirty percent. And I will make you more money than you can spend," she lied. If money was Cassandra's motivation, then that's the motivation Lilly would provide. The Doctor could fix this once she had explained everything to him.

"Agreed," said Cassandra. She turned and rolled away. Lilly smiled and let out a silent breath in relief. She watched Cassandra disappear into the crowd. Her 'speech' was over. Lilly breathed a little easier, and hoped. She reached down, and absentmindedly rubbed where the bullet had hit her arm. All she could do now was wait.

"Earth death in ten minutes," the computer announced. Lilly stood up taller, and looked towards the entrance. Where was the Doctor? Cassandra rolled to the center of the room.

"The planet's end," announced Cassandra dramatically. "Come gather. Come gather. Bid farewell to the cradle of civilization. Let us morn her with a traditional ballad." The juke box began to play 'Toxic' just like it did on the episode.

Lilly looked nervously at the doorway. Where was the Doctor? What was keeping him? Jabe walked in holding one of the metal spiders. The Doctor wasn't with her. Was that right? Didn't the Doctor and Jabe come in together to confront Cassandra? Lilly quickly reached into her pocket and pulled out her ipod. With a few quick swipes of her finger, she pulled up the 'End of the World' episode, and skipped ahead to find where they were now.

"May I have everyone's attention?" Jabe called in a loud voice. Lilly looked around the room. There were fewer guests in the main room now. Almost all of the families had moved to the private viewing rooms. "ATTENTION EVERYONE," Jabe tried again. The music stopped, and the room quieted for her. "Thank you. I'm afraid I have some unsettling news. This station is currently being sabotaged. We're all in danger." She held up the metal spider and scanned it with her hand held computer.

Lilly found the right scene on her ipod. She watched the Doctor and Jabe discover the spider in the room with the giant fans.

"The metal mind says it is a reprogrammed repair drone." Jabe punched some buttons on her hand held device.

Lilly continued watching the episode with growing apprehension. Where was the Doctor?! Could her presence, and what she had done, have gotten the Doctor hurt or detained or... or kil.. No. No, she wouldn't even think it. She focused on her ipod, ignoring Jabe. She watched as the Doctor ran off to save Rose from the descending sun filter. He had run full speed to the viewing room where Rose was about to be roasted, and Jabe wasn't with him. Lilly sighed in relief.

Oh, thank goodness

. It was alright. Jabe and the Doctor had separated after finding the steward. This scene playing out in front of Lilly in the main room just wasn't shown in the episode. She looked up at Jabe with interest. She saw the Face of Boe glide into the room. She still didn't see the Doctor.

And if the Doctor wasn't here, that would mean... He was busy saving Rose from the sun filter malfunction. Cassandra had still gone after her! Everything Lilly said to distract Cassandra from Rose, everything she said that hurt Rose, was for nothing. Lilly frowned. She'd made a mistake. She put her ipod back in her pocket. And with a growing sense of dread, she began making her way to the doorway where the Doctor should enter the room.

"The metal machine confirms. The spider devices have infiltrated the whole of Platform One," Jabe announced. The room was filled with gasps. Lilly pressed her way through a group of the Face of Boe's men. They reached out and caressed her.

"Get off," she said angrily. "Dirty orange men."

Lilly's face lit up when she saw the Doctor enter the room. He looked serious, and walked with purpose towards Jabe.

"How's that possible?" asked Cassandra innocently. Lilly grimaced. "Our private rooms are protected by a code wall," Cassandra went on. Lilly's frown deepened. Cassandra's deceitful words only served to convince Lilly more she intended to continue with her plans. Nothing Lilly had done had changed anything. Everyone who died on the show was going to die in reality. She looked around the room at all the people. It wasn't fair. Well, she could still save Jabe. The Doctor took the spider from the graceful alien tree, and took a few steps away.

"Summon the steward," ordered the Mox of Balhoon. Lilly reached the Doctor. He looked at her.

"Where have you been?" he asked her quietly as he took out his sonic screwdriver and began working on the spider. Lilly wasn't quite prepared for his serious attitude directed towards her. She paused.

"Busy. How's Rose?" she asked. "Is she alright?" The Doctor glanced up at her.

"How do you mean," he asked. "Why wouldn't she be alright?" A stab of fear coursed through Lilly, and the Doctor saw it. If the Doctor didn't know that Rose was alright, then he didn't just come from saving her. Lilly studied the people around the room. From this angle she could see everyone clearly. There was the Mox of Balhoon. She could see the Face of Boe. She could see Cassandra. She could see almost every alien group. But there was no Rose. She was missing.

"Didn't you just save her from a descending sun filter?" Lilly asked turning back to the Doctor. His face turned ashen.

"That was her?" he asked. "Rose was in there?!" Lilly let out a quiet gasp, and covered her mouth with her hand. Had she just killed Rose?! Had Lilly's interference in the time line changed events enough to cause Rose's death. Her eyes filled with tears as her heart plummeted into her stomach. If Rose was alright, she would be here. She wasn't here. Which meant she wasn't alright. She was dead. For some reason the Doctor hadn't saved her. Lilly knew it. Rose Tyler had died today. She'd burned to death alone in an alien room five billion years from home. And it was Lilly's fault.

"No!" choked out Lilly, "Not Rose." The Doctor's face became darker. He clenched his jaw tightly. Lilly turned back to see Cassandra. "It's all my fault. I didn't mean for **Rose **to get hurt," she whispered quietly to herself. A puzzled look crossed his face when Lilly's private comment reached his ears.

"I'm afraid the steward is dead," announced Jabe. Gasps flooded the room.

"Do you know anything about this?" the Doctor asked Lilly quietly.

"Everything," answered Lilly, swallowing back her tears, and ignoring the other conversation in the room. She pushed her grief to the back of her mind as well. She would think about Rose later. She focused on explaining things to the Doctor. "This is all..."

"As few words as possible," reminded the Doctor gently.

"Look, I don't have to worry about paradoxes," Lilly tried to explain to the Doctor quietly. "I know I'm from another universe, and this is..."

"...all a T.V. show?" cut in the Doctor. He frowned at Lilly when she didn't correct him. "Right then. Just shut up a minute. We'll talk about this later." The Doctor side stepped Lilly, moving towards the center of the crowd. Lilly frowned. The Doctor was right. There really wasn't enough time for her to explain everything to him. And nothing she could say to him now could change events. So, at this point, it didn't matter if he listened to her or not. She followed after the Doctor to the center of the room, fighting to keep her grief over Rose pushed aside.

"Easy way of finding out," the Doctor got everyone's attention. "Someone brought their little pet on board." He lifted the mechanical spider for everyone to see. "Let's send him back to master." The Doctor placed the spider on the ground. Lilly came to stand next to him. She shivered when she saw the spider begin to crawl across the floor, and rubbed imaginary shanoids off of her body. The Doctor glanced at her.

Everyone watched the little robot crawl over to Cassandra. The last human glared at the robot, and then stared directly at Lilly. The Doctor followed her gaze. He looked concerned at Lilly for a long moment before turning his attention back to the piece of technology moving away from Cassandra. Lilly watched the scene play out just as it had on the show until the Doctor confronted the Repeated Meme.

"That's all very well, and really kind of obvious. But if you stop and think about it, the Repeated Meme is just an idea," the Doctor explained. One of the Repeated Meme shot out a hand to strike the Doctor. He easily dodge the blow. But a second Repeated Meme hit the Doctor hard in the arm as the group surrounded him. He grunted with the impact, and used the momentum of the strike to swing himself around, grabbing hold of the offending limb. With more strength than Lilly had ever seen, the Doctor ripped the arm off of the Repeated Meme, and began using it as a weapon.

"And that's all they are... an idea," added the Doctor. Lilly jumped when he swung the arm diagonally down, catching one of the thugs in the side of the neck. The creature let out a robotic scream as it crashed to the floor in a sparking mess of wires and electronics. "Remote control droids," he continued. He smashed the droid who was missing his arm in the side with the dismembered limb, sending it sliding across the floor. "Nice little cover for the real troublemaker." Two droids lunged at him from opposite sides. With the kind of timing no human could muster, he moved out of their way, and slammed the droids into each other. Sparks flew, and loud popping sounds came from their bodies. They collapsed to the floor, but continued to try unsuccessfully to get up. He turned around to see one last droid coming towards him. The Doctor tossed the arm to it. It caught the limb and looked at it, momentarily puzzled. The Doctor used the distraction to slam his fist into it's chest, ripping out it's wires as if he was ripping out it's heart. The droids went dead, and the whole room let out a silent breath.

"Go on Jimbo. Go home." The Doctor scooted the spider gently with his foot.

Lilly was stunned at what she had just seen. If the Doctor hadn't been using a calm voice during the thirty second long battle, she may have actually been a bit frightened of him. The precision in the violence he'd just used was startling. Everyone, including Lilly, stepped back when the Doctor stepped forward. The spider walked over to Cassandra.

"I bet you were the school twat and never got kissed. At arms!" Cassandra's clones aimed their moisturizing sticks at the Doctor.

"What you going to do? Moisturized me?" the Doctor said sarcastically.

"With acid. Oh, you're too late anyway. My spiders have control of the mainframe," boasted Cassandra. Lilly listened in amazement while Cassandra explained her plans of creating a hostage situation in detail to the Doctor. _Bad guys actually do that?! _She looked at the Doctor, and wondered why Cassandra would spill her secrets to him. Maybe she's just the type of personality that has to gloat. Maybe she thought she was safe, because no one could stop her.

"Five billion years, and it still comes down to money," accused the Doctor.

"Do you think it's cheap being like this? Flatness costs... a fortune." Lilly stepped forward.

"Cassandra, stop," ordered Lilly, angrily thinking about Rose. "You promised no one would get hurt. If you still want money..."

"Don't lie to me, Lilly. You're just angling for a new deal?" accused Cassandra, "We agreed upon thirty percent, and not a credit more. Oh, I know. You were right. The original plan didn't work. I'm so glad you warned me. And with your ability to see the future, and my connections, we would have been swimming in riches. But that's before you tried to change our arrangement." Lilly grimaced. "Oh, don't give me that look. I saw you spilling our plan to that Doctor of yours." Lilly's mouth dropped open in surprise.

"I didn't tell him a thing, Cassandra. You..."

"Arrest them. The infidels," said the Mox of Balhoon. _What!_ thought Lilly. The Doctor was looking at Lilly, but didn't say a thing.

"Oh, shut it. Pixie. I've still got my final option," said Cassandra.

"Earth death in three minutes." The computer sounded it's warning.

"And here it comes," Cassandra continued. "You're just as useful dead. All of you. I have shares in your rival companies. Triple in price as soon as you're dead. My spider's are primed, and ready to destroy the safety systems. How did that old Earth song go? Burn, baby. Burn" Lilly clenched her fists.

"Cassandra!" She couldn't let this happen. She couldn't let everyone die like Rose... like Jack. "Stop! I'm trying to save your life. I've seen your future. If you continue with this, you'll die. There will be NO money."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I wish I could believe you, Lilly. But after you betrayed me, I just can't risk it." Cassandra paused. "Still... maybe we can work something out," she said to herself, before continuing her speech. "I know the use of teleportation is strictly forbidden. But I'm such a naughty thing. Spiders, activate."

Lilly squeezed her eyes shut when she heard tiny explosions throughout the station. Her lip quivered into a frown with a sinking feeling. Nothing she had done had helped. She had only made things worse.

"Forcefield's gone with the planet about to explode. At least it will be quick...just like my fifth husband. Bye, bye darlings. Bye bye..." Lilly felt the station rumble beneath her feet. When she opened her eyes, she wasn't on the station anymore.

"Moisturize me. Moisturize me." Lilly looked at Cassandra. She was surrounded by dozens of clones fawning over her. They were in a large elaborately decorated hall on board some kind of space ship. The room was well lit with balconies and stairways covering three sides of the room. There was a forty foot high viewing window like the one on Platform One on the fourth wall at the other end.

Lilly could see Platform One through the window. She could tell the shields were down. Little pieces of debris could be seen hitting the station, damaging it. She hoped the Doctor would still be able to reboot the shields in time. She knew he had only managed to get them up four seconds before Earth exploded on the show. _What if my conversation with Cassandra used up those four seconds?_ Lilly worried. She would be stuck with Cassandra. She watched the last human regale her faithful worshipers with her tail of triumph.

Lilly turned back to look at the station_. I won't be there to save Jabe_, she realized. In a few minutes the lovely alien tree was going to burn to death, trying to save everyone else. Lilly frowned. Tears flushed her eyes. Everyone who died on the show, even Jabe, was dying today. It was worse than that. Rose was dead too.

Tears flowed freely, streaming down Lilly's cheeks. What had she done? The feeling in the pit of her stomach weighed her down. She wanted to run. She wanted to forget. She wanted to pretend this wasn't real. Without Rose, even if the Doctor succeeded saving the station, he would die on Satellite Five. The daleks would rule this universe, and eventually they would use their reality bomb to destroy all creation. Every dimension would cease to exist. Would the reality bomb reach Lilly's home universe? After everything she'd seen, it was a legitimate fear. Her whole family. All her friends. Her whole world. They would die. It was her fault.

Is this how the Doctor feels?

She brought her hand to her mouth to prevent a sob. Her heart ached on behalf of him. How could he possibly go on?

He never gives up

, Lilly answered her own question. _I won't give up either_. But what could she do? How could she possibly fix this? _I'll take Rose's place_, thought Lilly. _I'll do everything she did on the show_. Could she do that? Could she manage to be as brave as Rose? Could she care enough about another species? Aliens? Could she handle looking into the heart of the Tardis? Maybe she wouldn't be able to look into the heart of the Tardis and save the Doctor, but for the lives of her family she would die trying. The lives of everyone she knew depended on the Doctor surviving. _I'll tell him everything too_, she thought. _No sense in being stupid about this_. The only question now was whether the Doctor could save Platform One in time.

_Come on, Doctor_, Lilly hoped. Her tears hadn't stopped.

"Enjoying the show?" Lilly jumped when Cassandra spoke. She hadn't noticed the flap of skin standing behind her. "It won't be long now." Cassandra laughed. Lilly dried her eyes with her sleeve. She didn't want Cassandra to see her crying. The clones surrounded them.

"Cassandra," Lilly began, "Remember this moment. Remember this moment when you're living in the basement of a hospital, scavenging for scraps, watching old films, trying to recapture your past." Lilly's voice was angry. She knew her prediction would only be accurate, if the Doctor saved Platform One. "I tried to save you," she choked. "You could have had..." Lilly pressed her lips together, stifling a sob and breathing a shuttered breath. "You killed my best friend today. You killed Rose. SHE really was human, not you. Remember when you're living like a rat in that basement. Remember you got what you deserved." Cassandra's eyes widened for a moment.

"Oh, what do you know? First you say I explode from drying out. Now you tell me I'll live in squalor. Which is it?" Cassandra looked Lilly up and down. "You know, I knew from the beginning you were a fake. A charlatan trying to scam be out of thirty percent. Well, I'll let you in on a little secret. I never intended to give you a credit. Not one credit. Moisturize me Moisturize me. You're worth more on the black market than you would ever be worth as a partner. And that's where you're going, you charlatan. I'll get at least a billion for you." The sun suddenly flared. Lilly glanced at the unshielded station.

"NO!" she shouted as she stepped towards the window. The flare was too bright, and Lilly had to turn away, shielding her eyes with her arm.

"Ha!" laughed Cassandra. "You see. It worked." Panic rose up Lilly's throat. Did the Doctor get off the station in time? Did he make it to the Tardis? Was he hurt? Would he regenerate? If he'd survived, would he look like ten now? Would he survive regeneration sickness without Mickey spilling tea in the Tardis? Would ten survive under the extreme solar conditions long enough to get away? What about Jack? Would he come back from the dead? Would anyone help her get away from Cassandra? Would she be sold on the black market? What about all those families on the station? If felt like a million worries rushed through Lilly's mind all at once.

"Someone check the stock prices. I want to witness my profits soar!" Cassandra shouted. Several of the clones scurried over to a control panel in a the wall. After a few moments, a large holographic screen appeared in the center of the room. It was covered with fluctuating numbers. "Any minute now..." Cassandra grinned.

Lilly frowned. She felt completely alone, and didn't know what to do.


	8. Chapter 8: Oncoming Storm

I don't own Doctor Who

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**"NO!" Lilly shouted as she stepped towards the window. The flare was too bright, and she had to turn away, shielding her eyes with her arm.**

**"Ha!" laughed Cassandra. "You see. It worked." Panic rose up Lilly's throat. Did the Doctor get off the station in time? Did he make it to the Tardis? Was he hurt? Would he regenerate? If he'd survived, would he look like ten now? Would he survive regeneration sickness without Mickey spilling tea in the Tardis? Would ten survive under the extreme solar conditions long enough to get away? What about Jack? Would he come back from the dead? Would anyone help her get away from Cassandra? Would she be sold on the black market? What about all those families on the station? It felt like a million worries rushed through Lilly's mind all at once.**

**"Someone check the stock prices. I want to witness my profits soar!" Cassandra shouted. Several of the clones scurried over to a control panel in a the wall. After a few moments, a large holographic screen appeared in the center of the room. It was covered with fluctuating numbers. "Any minute now..." Cassandra grinned. **

**Lilly frowned. She felt completely alone, and didn't know what to do.**

Chapter 8: Oncoming Storm

Cassandra momentarily turned her attention back to her brainwashed clones. "Oh you should have seen their alien faces..."

Lilly felt the ground shift beneath her feet. She looked up to see she and Cassandra were back on Platform One. There stood an angry Doctor with a frazzled Rose by his side. Lilly stood stunned, relief flooding through her. There was the Doctor, alive and well. Platform One was still here. And there she was, Rose, the most beautiful wonderful glorious sight in the entire universe. She was alive. She was ALIVE! Lilly hadn't killed her. She hadn't hurt her. She was alright. Lilly's gut wrenching guilt instantly turned into overwhelming relief. Her very soul rejoiced with so much joy she felt like she was going to explode.

"You're alive!" whispered Lilly. She bolted over to Rose, giving her a desperate hug. Rose hugged her back.

"It's alright," Rose comforted her. "You're safe now."

"The last human," stated the Doctor with disgust.

"It's alright," Rose repeated, concern and exhaustion in her voice.

"I thought you were dead," answered Lilly, hugging her again. She thought about all those mean things she'd said to Cassandra about Rose. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Rose. I thought you didn't make it. It looked like the station was destroy..." She noticed the chair that held the Mox of Balhoon, now held only chard remains. Lilly backed away from Rose, and looked across the room. Rose followed her gaze. The beige alien she'd remembered so often from the show was crumpled on the floor some distance away. It's mate was weeping over it. Lilly turned around slowly. She only saw victim after victim being tended to by other survivors. There was no Jabe. The room was filled with the sound of loved ones mourning, and the smell of burned flesh permeated everything.

"People have died, Cassandra. You murdered them." The Doctor's voice brought Lilly's attention back to that hateful flap of skin.

"Well, I guess that depends on your definition of people. And that's enough of a technicality to keep your lawyers dizzy for centuries. Take me to court, then Doctor. And watch me smile, and cry, and flutter..." The sound of Cassandra drying out touched Lilly's ears. Somehow, she'd expected Cassandra's suffering would make things feel a little better. It didn't.

"And creak," said the Doctor.

"And what?"

"Creak," repeated the Doctor. "You're creaking."

"I warned you, Cassandra." Lilly's tone was unfeeling. "When I told you your future, I warned you this would..."

"Don't," the Doctor told Lilly, putting his hand on her forearm. Lilly quieted, and pressed her lips into a frown. She watched Cassandra.

"Oh, don't play goody-two-shoes now. You didn't seem to mind when I offered you thirty percent!" Cassandra accused. _What an idiot!_ thought Lilly. _Didn't she listen to a word I said! _

Creak. "Oh, no! I... I'm drying out. Oh, sweet heavens. Moisturize me! Moisturize me! My lovely boys! It's too hot!"

"You raised the temperature," the Doctor explained. Anger and disgust showed in his face.

"Have pityyyyy! Moisturize meeee! Oh, Doctor. Oh, Doctor."

"Help her," asked Rose gently. Lilly wondered how anyone could still care for such a monster. Rose's face showed only concern and remorse.

"Everything has it's time, and everything dies." There was no mercy in the Doctor's voice.

Rose frowned, and Cassandra broke into pieces. It wasn't like the show. There were no pieces of flesh flying comically across the room. Cassandra just pulled apart, like old paint peeling on wall, but with blood seeping out between the cracks. Lilly closed her eyes and turned around. She'd seen enough death today.

The three of them stood still for a long minute. The Doctor finally broke the silence. He slipped his hand into Lilly's. She looked down at their joined hands, surprised. His hand felt cool, comforting, and comfortable. _Shouldn't he be taking Rose's hand?_

"Rose, wait here," ordered the Doctor. "Lilly come with me." He quickly led her out of the room. They walked silently down several hallways until the Doctor led her into a private viewing room. It looked identical to the one they had arrived in. Lilly walked slowly down the steps until she stood on the lowest level looking out the window, while the Doctor did something with the controls on the wall.

Lilly looked out at the debris floating in space. Jagged rocks floated aimlessly amidst a sea of red and yellow radiation. The scene was spectacular. The detail, the emptiness, the little pieces crashing into and bouncing off of each other, that was Earth. But it wasn't Lilly's Earth. She wondered if her Earth would die the same way.

The Doctor leaned his forehead against the door. He closed his eyes, and frowned. This had not turned into the trip he was hoping for. It had been a long day. And if his fears were correct, it was about to get longer. _Oh, Lilly. You could have been so much more_. The Doctor lifted his head, and turned slowly around. _Better make this quick_, he thought.

"One rule," said the Doctor. Lilly turned around to see the Doctor standing on the highest step, frowning and serious. "One rule. That's all I gave you." Lilly looked at him, surprised.

"Are... are you angry with me?" she wondered. Her voice showed her surprise. The Doctor gave Lilly a long serious look.

"Yes." The Doctor quickly descended the stairs, and stood in front of Lilly.

"Seriously?" asked Lilly. "I get kidnaped by some nasty flap of skin, and you're angry with **me**."

"If you'd obeyed the rule, you wouldn't have been kidnaped." The Doctor sighed, closed his eyes, and massaged the bridge of his nose with his fingers. Lilly frowned. She had broken the rule. At the time she thought she had good cause, but nothing she did had helped anyone. In fact, she'd almost gotten Rose killed. "Lilly, explain to me the nature of a paradox."

"I don't understand. What do you mean?"

"What's a paradox? How does it work? Everything you know."

" . A paradox is like which comes first the chicken or the egg. If you take away the chicken, there can't be an egg. If you take away the egg, there can't be a chicken. Simple."

"And what happens if someone takes away the chicken... or the egg."

"It..." Lilly thought about what happened on the 'Father's Day' episode. "Time gets hurt. Sometimes, if it's bad enough, monsters come and sterilize the wound. But everyone caught in the paradox dies."

She remembered when the tenth doctor explained to Martha how 'Back to the Future' was an accurate representation of how time could be altered during the Shakespear episode. "Sometimes time compensates. Time gets rewritten."

Then she thought about the episode with the army of weeping angels on the Byzantium. The eleventh doctor figured out time could be unwritten just before Angel Bob got a hold of the head priest. "And sometimes, if it's really, really, really bad, time gets unwritten. All reality could cease to exist."

The Doctor's eyes went wide. He stepped back, and gazed off into space. He made circles with his finger in the air and whispered like he was making calculations, just like the eleventh doctor had done on the weeping angel episode. After a minute, he stopped and looked at Lilly with amazement.

_Right then_, he thought. Apparently, she understood paradoxes extremely well. That was incredible for a human. Oh, who was he kidding. That would have been impressive for a timelord. **He** had just learned something new. She obviously lacked the terminology, being limited by her English language. But her understanding of paradoxes was there. That wasn't good for her case.

"You're right. Time can be unwritten. Never thought of that." The Doctor stepped back in front of her. "So, you understand basic paradoxes. And you said earlier you knew everything that was going to happen."

"Yeah." Lilly grimaced. "I tried to change it. I really did, but..."

"I heard. You tried to stop Cassandra's death." He folded his arms. "You were fortune telling."

"I was trying to save lives." _Really._ _Then why risk a paradox?_ thought the Doctor. A paradox would destroy far more than the number of people on Platform One.

"I warned you there was a huge paradox threatening this time junction. I told you to shut up about future events because of it. What part of that didn't you understand?" He sounded frustrated.

"I got it. I understood just fine. But you've got to understand. I'm from another dimension, so..."

"No. You're not. Lilly, this is real. Right here and right now. This is real." The Doctor sounded annoyed. "And what you did was very dangerous."

"No, wait. I can prove it. I've got this whole Platform One episode on video, from T.V. from my universe." Lilly reached into her back pocket. Panic covered her face. "It's gone!"

"What is?"

"My proof. The videos. I had..." She swallowed. _What happened! Where did my ipod go? Did it fall out of my pocket? Did I lose it on Cassandra's ship?! No, no, no, no, no. This can't be happening!_ Lilly turned around looking on the floor for her ipod.

"Lilly..."

"I swear! I had proof! It must have fallen out of my pocket. You've got to believe me." The Doctor only had one more question.

"You should have held out for a 50% partnership with Cassandra," he bated her.

"Really," responded Lilly absentmindedly and in a frustrated tone. She was still focused on finding her ipod, looking for it on the stairs. "When she offered 30%, I thought it was unbelievable." That answered the Doctor's last question. Yes, Lilly had sided with Cassandra. She was willing to sacrifice lives for profit. "Guess I was right," Lilly went on, "because she had no intention of paying me anything. She..." Lilly glanced up at the Doctor.

His demeanor had changed. His arms were crossed. His jaw was tight. His piercing blue eyes glared. The timelord looked furious. Lilly froze.

"What is it?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

"People died, Lilly." His voice was penetrating.

"I noticed." Lilly was baffled. Is this how timelords reacted to death? If so, why had he been alright only a second ago? Had she done something to offend him? Understanding came to Lilly. He thought she had knowingly joined forces with Cassandra to make a profit. He thought she was like Adam on Satellite Five, only worse. He thought she was partly responsible for the people who had died on Platform One. He thought she didn't care.

"No." She held up her hand. "Hang on a minute. You've got it wrong." He unfolded his arms and took a menacing step towards her. Lilly could feel the power of his anger echoing off of him. _Is this what his enemies felt? Was this the famous oncoming storm? _She felt her blood run cold. Lilly suddenly understood why so many were said to fear the Doctor. Her pulse raced, her legs felt weak, and she trembled under his gaze. "Wait." She took a step back as he took another step towards her. "Just wait."

"I brought you here." He was angry. She remembered how quickly he'd dispatched the Repeated Meme. Would he hurt her the same way? Had the Face of Boe been right all along? Was the Doctor a danger to her?

"You're my responsibility." Lilly could feel the danger emanating from the alien. He continued to step towards her, and she continued to step back.

"I swear I was only trying to help." Lilly's back hit the wall. There was no where else to go. The Doctor paused before taking one last step, invading her personal space. He raised his fingers to her temples. Lilly's eyes widened. She remember the Face of Boe's warning. "NO!" she shouted and ducked under his arm in an attempt to run past him.

He moved with inhuman speed, grabbing Lilly by the arm, spinning her around, and pinning her back up against the wall. "No! Don't. Don't do this," she begged. "Just wait!"

"I'm sorry," said the Doctor. "I'll make it quick." His voice was dark. When Lilly attempted to escape again, the Doctor pinned her against the wall using his body. He needed his hands to be free. Lilly struggled against him. But he was pressed so tightly against her, she couldn't move. She stopped squirming. He raised his hands to the sides of her face again, fingers pressing against her temples. She held onto his arms, trying to push them away from her. He was just too strong. Lilly could feel a presence pressing itself against her mind.

"Please," Lilly pleaded. Tears started streaming down her cheeks. "You're the Doctor. You're supposed to be good. You're the good-guy! Why would you do this?" The Doctor looked into Lilly's eyes. "Just... just tell me why? What have I done wrong?!" The presence about to enter Lilly's mind backed off some. The Doctor swallowed.

"Do you understand what a paradox is, how much it could destroy?" asked the Doctor.

"Yes." She looked into his eyes.

"Did you understand my warning about a possible paradox."

"Yes, but..."

"Did you understand and break the no fortune telling rule?" She hesitated, and swallowed. "Was 30% worth all the lives lost today?" Lilly froze. How could she explain?

"Goodbye, Lilly Brooks." Instantly, Lilly gasped. She could feel his presence hovering on the outside of her mind. She'd always wondered what telepathy would feel like, if it was real. Now, it was real. Too real. She closed her eyes, and tried to pull away. She could feel an energy from his fingers like the pull of a magnet, just inside her temples. There was pressure. Suddenly, she felt a sensation like cool fluid surrounding her mind, just under her skull. She tilted her head back, trying to get away from the sensation. The Doctor could feel Lilly's fear. It rippled through him like the chill of hearing someone screaming in terror. He shuttered, and almost recoiled in response. The Doctor cringed. "I'm sorry," he said, grief covering his face.

Holding Lilly felt like Gallifrey all over again, like knives driving themselves into both his hearts. He was holding life in his hands, and he had to destroy it to keep the rest of the universe safe. He hesitated.

If she had only broken one law, any other timelord would have destroyed her without a second thought. So, why was he hesitating when she was in clear violation of six major laws of time? She was a danger to him. She was a danger to the Tardis. She was a danger to everyone around her. She was a danger to the time vortex itself. And she'd proven she valued profit over life.

_With full knowledge and understanding of how dangerous a paradox could be, she willfully disregarded proper warnings and laws of time, actively seeking to create a sixth degree paradox, by revealing personal future events to someone she knew intended to commit mass murder. The sole purpose of her actions being an attempt to gain some kind of personal profit_, he stated the reasons for his judgement in his mind, just as timelord law demanded. _And she's going insane_, he mourned. _I can't teach someone who won't face reality_. No one would obey the laws of time, if they didn't believe their consequences to be real. The Doctor remembered the histories told at the academy. The stories of insane Non-Gallifreyan time sensitives read like living nightmares.

He began to press himself into her mind again, only to hesitate once more. He could feel Lilly's fear. No. He could feel her terror, bubbling up on the outskirts of her mind. The Doctor had never preformed a 'Final Action' before. In all of his 900 years, he never had to hallow out the soul of another living being. On Gallifrey it was a required act in attaining graduation from the academy and a permit for flying a Tardis. But the Doctor had never finished his academic studies, and he had stolen his Tardis. He'd never been forced to do this before.

"You promised," she reminded him, gasping for breath. It was a last attempt at saving herself. "You promised to get me safely back to the Tardis." _I have to do this_, he told himself. Every part of his training told him to finish her. But that other part of him... He looked into Lilly's eyes.

"I can't," said the Doctor. Instantly, he released Lilly. He dropped his hands, and stepped back. "I won't." Lilly felt the sensation of something like thick gelatin pull off the outside of her mind, creating a suction as it left. She felt strangely empty... alone. He backed away releasing Lilly from the wall, and walked to the middle of the room. He stood there with his back towards her, hands in his jacket pockets. _What am I going to do with her?_ he asked himself. Lilly leaned against the wall for support. She was trembling so badly, she could hardly stand.

"I want to go home." It was her first thought. She swallowed to help muster her courage. "Take me home," she ordered, somewhat meekly. Her voice sounded tired. The Doctor didn't say anything. Lilly gathered her strength. "You take me back to Earth. Right now!" She tried to sound tough. The Doctor still didn't answer. "Did you hear me?!"

"I can't take you home," said the Doctor in a slightly broken voice. Lilly pushed herself off of the wall. She managed to stand, adrenaline keeping her up.

"Yes, you can!" she shouted at him. The Doctor turned around just in time to catch the wadded up cloth cast Lilly threw at him. "You can keep..." She looked down at her broken arm.

Oh, great

, thought the Doctor. _Can this get any worse? _Aside from the giant bruise where the bullet had hit, her arm was fine. She looked at the Doctor in surprise. "You... you lied! You lied to me," she accused. "You... you stupid... STUPID DALEK!" The Doctor's eyebrows shot up. He grimaced.

"Dalek?" He paused. Where did she know that word from? "Trust me," he responded darkly, "I'm no dalek." Lilly didn't wait for an explanation. She was done with this. Jack had been completely right. She couldn't trust the Doctor. It was the perfect ending to a very long nightmare. She bounded up the giant stairs towards the doors. She would find the Face of Boe. She would borrow the vortex manipulator, and go to Earth. She didn't need the Doctor.

"It's deadlocked," he explained. "I can't let you leave." Lilly frantically tried the controls. Nothing worked. She smacked the door with the palm of her hand. The Doctor was right. She wasn't going anywhere.

"No," she sobbed, resting her forehead on the door. "It's not fair," she whispered to herself. "This isn't supposed to happen. This isn't supposed to be real! It's just a T.V. show. How can this be real?"

The Doctor's face lit up. If she was questioning her reality, there might still be hope. He was momentarily relieved he hadn't taken that final step a few moments ago. In her current state of mind maybe she wasn't aware she had actually been causing harm. He knew Lilly wasn't out of the woods yet, but he hoped. _Sentimental old fool_.

"Does it feel real, Lilly?" She thought back over the events of the last two days. All of the stress she had been pushing aside, and all of the tears she'd been holding back came crashing down on her. Lilly dropped to her knees with it's weight. She was still, leaning with one hand against the door. Finally, she dropped the rest of the way to sit with her back against the door, she pulled her knees into her chest, and pulled her top up to cover her face like a turtle hiding in it's shell. She pulled her long sleeves over her hands, and wrapped her arms around her knees. She cried.

The Doctor stood patiently waiting. He didn't mind waiting. He knew he still had to destroy her life. When he was finished with her, her life would never be the same. But he didn't have to do that right this minute. He could wait. _Always the coward_, he told himself. The more time Lilly took, the more time she had before he would have to decide her fate. He still didn't know what he was going to do with her. _Probably lock her up in the Tardis_, he thought.

The Doctor glanced down at the cast in his hand. He noticed the indent in it. He brought his eyebrows together in a puzzled look. What was that? Whatever it was had caused serious damage. The Doctor pressed the pock-mark in the cast firmly with his finger. A spider's web of electricity sparked through the fabric. _Oh. That's not good_, thought the Doctor. He brought out his sonic screwdriver, and scanned the cast. When he looked at the results, he seemed even more puzzled.

Lilly's crying finally faded. It had taken a while for her to calm down. She was very still, and very quiet. The stress had melted away with her tears. She felt strangely at peace.

The Doctor was leaning up against the window, arms folded. He was looking at Lilly. She seemed so innocent. How could someone who seemed so good make choices that were so bad. Even if she thought this was all a fantasy, like he hoped, technically she still had blood on her hands.

"I saved your life," said Lilly, only poking her eyes out of her top.

"Yes. You did," replied the Doctor.

"You owe me," she said. _Oh_, thought the Doctor. _Here it comes. Negotiation_.

"Nope. You owe me," he countered. "I've saved you more times than you've saved me."

"I just want to go home," begged Lilly.

"Not happening," he responded. The Doctor frowned at her.

"Rose," Lilly started, "Rose won't travel with you, if you hurt me. She won't..."

"She won't be staying anyway," he cut in.

"What do you mean?"

"Rose trusts you, Lilly. She's been watching you since she came on board. She trusts your reactions to me, to the situations around us, to everything. You impressed her when you saved me from the Nestine Consciousness. She'd never stay without you. Probably wouldn't stay anyway. Most don't. And there's no way she'll stay after this."

"But she's got to."

"She won't."

"What? Will you just take her home?"

"Yup." The Doctor grimaced.

"Why let her go, and not me?"

"You're dangerous. She's not." Lilly was quiet for a few minutes. She felt numb. Her body was drained physically and emotionally. Besides, with all her time-jumping, she was sure she had been awake for a very long time.

Maybe the Doctor was right. She could have gotten Rose killed with what she tried to do. Maybe she was dangerous. No. The Doctor thought she hadn't cared about the dangers of causing a paradox. He thought she'd joined Cassandra. That's why he thought she was dangerous. He was wrong. Yes, she'd made mistakes. But everything she'd done was to prevent a paradox, and save lives.

"Why did you lie about the cast?" Lilly changed the subject. The Doctor sighed.

"Had to find out if you were trouble. Needed you to stick around for that."

"So, you broke our deal." Lilly let out a disgusted noise.

"Nope."

"What?"

"Didn't break the deal. Fibbed before, not after." _How can I believe you?_ thought Lilly. She slid her head the rest of the way out of her shirt._ What was he going to do with her?_

"Are you still... Are you still thinking of hurting me?" The Doctor frowned. He hesitated.

"Yes."

"You're being honest." Lilly was surprised.

"Yes." She closed her eyes. He could have lied just now. He could have smoothed things over until he was ready to make his move. Probably would have made things easier for him. Maybe he hadn't broken their deal. But was he still the Doctor? She thought about the reality of her situation. Yes, this world was very real. Time travel was real. Rose was real. All the alien threats were real. But everything here was so much more than the show.

She thought about how grateful she was to see Rose was alive. Not just because they were friends, but because, if Rose was alive, then all her friends and family had a chance too. Every family and every friend in every universe had a chance, if Rose lived. Lilly wouldn't have to try to take her place. She wouldn't have to look into the heart of the Tardis, but only if Rose still traveled with and saved the Doctor. It didn't matter if the Doctor was the perfect hero portrayed on 'Doctor Who' or not. It only mattered if he could stop the daleks from annihilating her dimension, her family, and her friends.

Lilly slowly pulled herself to her feet. She had made a decision. She stood on shaky legs, and started down towards the Doctor. His eyebrows arched high in surprise. Human instinct should've kept Lilly as far away from him as possible.

The Doctor pushed himself off the window into a standing position. Lilly stood in front of him, still slightly trembling.

"I... I have a deal for you," she began. He listened. "I'll convince Rose to keep traveling with you, and..." Her voice cracked with emotion. She pressed her lips together, and swallowed to clear her throat. Lilly couldn't look the Doctor in the eyes, so she stared at his chest. "... and you wait to do that mind thing. Just give me time. Just until Rose will stay with you on her own. I won't run, and I... I won't fight you." The Doctor was quiet with surprise.

Finally, he asked, "Do you know what that mind thing is?"

"Mhmm." Lilly shook her head yes. "You'll..." She swallowed back her emotions again. "You'll hallow out every memory, dream, and thought until theirs noth..." She choked, pressed her lips together, and swallowed. Another tear tried to fall down her cheek, but she used her sleeve to wipe it quickly away. She couldn't say anymore. The Doctor was amazed. He was amazed at the offer, and he was amazed she somehow knew about the 'Final Action.'

"Why would you do that?"

"If Rose doesn't travel with you, you die. If you die the univ..."

"...universe dies," he finished her sentence.

"As few words as possible," added Lilly. She half smiled, trying to use her sense of humor to ease the tension of the situation.

"Well done." The Doctor responded automatically. Would she really do that? Would she sacrifice herself to save the universe? Why would she be willing to sacrifice her own life to save others, if she valued profit more than life? Had he got it wrong? What had he missed?

Instinctively, Lilly jumped back when the Doctor raised his hand to towards her.

"Sorry," whispered Lilly. She stepped forward into her previous position, submitting to him. He dropped his hand without touching her. The Doctor looked at the human girl for a long minute, not saying anything. Finally, he turned and walked away from her. Putting his hands on his hips, he blew out a long slow breath.

"I'm sorry I broke your rule." Lilly broke the silence. She remembered how the Doctor had only required an apology from Rose on the 'Father's Day' episode for creating a paradox. She hoped her apology could calm things here. And she **was** sorry she'd talked to Cassandra. Well, she was sorry talking to Cassandra hadn't worked.

"Why?" asked the Doctor.

"What?"

"Why did you break the rule?" he clarified.

"I..." Lilly looked down. She knew why she'd broken his rule. The Face of Boe had told her she wouldn't cause a paradox, and it was possible for her to convince Cassandra to stop. But she couldn't tell the Doctor about Jack. Could she? The Doctor eyed Lilly carefully. "I was trying to save lives, trying to stop her. I figured if she knew she'd die, maybe she wouldn't go through with it."

"But why risk a paradox?" Lilly didn't answer. "If you were trying to save lives, why risk more lives in a paradox?" The Doctor step towards Lilly. Instantly, she stepped back. He continued past her, ignoring her reaction. He jumped into a seated position on the bottom step. With his elbows on his knees, he leaned forward. "Why risk a paradox?" he repeated in a softer tone.

"I..." Lilly didn't know how to answer. The Doctor seemed to know exactly which question to ask. "I'm sorry." It was all she could think to say. The Doctor eyed her body language, prepared to catch her reactions.

"Right then. Nothing like a good mystery. Pretty good at mysteries, me. Option one. None of this is real. It's a program from the telly, or you're just dreaming it up. So it doesn't matter what you do." Lilly frowned. She understood now why Jack said she needed to stop telling the Doctor everything was from T.V. Crazy people were dangerous, and she sounded crazy.

"It's real," Lilly answered him, shaking her head. "All this time travel alien stuff is real. It shouldn't be, but it is." A look of grief flashed across her face. In a way it felt like she was giving up on finding her way back home. The Doctor felt a bit of relief when he saw her grief. _She cares_, he thought, surprised. _And she believes this is reality. That's a break through_.

"Option 'B'," he went on, "You didn't believe me." He paused. "Ah," he said, reading her reaction. "That's it. You didn't believe me. Question four. No. Wait. Three. Why? Why didn't you believe me?" Lilly sighed. She leaned against the window and slid to the floor, sitting Indian style facing the Doctor. She started playing with a lose thread on the seam of her jeans. Lilly thought about all the different shows she'd watched where all the trouble could have been resolved if only people shared what they knew. She thought about Jack's warnings. He'd said not to tell the Doctor about what they had discussed. Was Jack right? She thought about what the Doctor had almost done to her. She was still frightened of him. What if he got the wrong idea again? Her fear made the decision for her.

"There was this other time traveler here," Lilly began, "on the station." The Doctor clenched his jaw slightly, and stiffened. His full attention was on Lilly. He listened. "He said I might be able to save everyone here, if I convinced Cassandra to stop. He said it wouldn't create a paradox. It was safe." It wasn't the whole truth, but she wasn't lying either.

"And you believed him?"

"Yeah."

"Tell me about him," ordered the Doctor.

"I can't," she said. "He's from your future. And I don't know enough about time rules to..." Her voice cracked, and she turned her face away from him.

"Alright." The Doctor raised his hand for Lilly to stop. "I believe you." They sat quietly across from each other for several minutes. _Makes sense_, thought the Doctor. At least it fit her reactions, and what she'd done. Why else would she be willing to risk a paradox by telling Cassandra her future, and simultaneously, be willing to sacrifice her life for what she thought was the survival of the universe.

_She would have let me... _The Doctor shuttered at the thought. She would have let him destroy her instead of risk the lives of others in a paradox. He was suddenly eternally grateful he'd listened to his instincts instead of his training. He dreaded the thought of finding out she was innocent after destroying her. The Doctor leaned back against the giant stair behind him.

"Blimey," he said, "You could have told me sooner."

"He said not to tell you at all," said Lilly.

"But you tell me now?"

"As few words as possible," she quoted the rule, "and only to save a life." The Doctor nodded. He understood she was talking about her life.

"I'm sorry," he offered.

"You were my hero." The disappointment in her voice cut through the Doctor like a Mucosium blade. "I trusted you."

"I promise I'll fix this. What can I do to make it up to you? Go ahead. Ask me anything. If it's possib..."

"Take me home," Lilly asked. "Just... just take me home. Leave me on Earth." The Doctor frowned. Even though she hadn't done anything wrong, she was still a time sensitive creature. She was still dangerous, especially if left on her own.

"I can't do that, Lilly. I'm sorry." He was being honest, keeping his deal.

"Why not? You said you believed me. You said..."

"You're time sensitive. You need training. If you..."

"I'm not time sensitive! I'm..." The Doctor sighed. He put his head in his hands. _She's not going to back down_, he thought. _I've lost her_. They were both very quiet.

"Alright." The Doctor broke the silence. "I'll take you home." Lilly released her breath.

"Thank you." He nodded.

"We'll just finish up here. Then I'll take you back to Earth." The Doctor stood up, and walked over to Lilly. "That alright?" He frowned.

"Yeah," she answered. He extended his hand to help her up. Hesitating a moment, she timidly reached out for it, and he pulled her to her feet. He looked Lilly directly in the eyes, still holding her hand.

"Lilly Brooks. I swear to you. I will never take 'Final Action' on any living being again. You have my word. You have nothing to fear from me." There was something about the intensity of his stare that made Lilly almost believe the sincerity of his promise.

"Final Action?" she asked.

"The mind thing," the Doctor clarified. "I am truly sorry." Lilly grimaced before nodding. The Doctor frowned reading her body language.

"You don't believe me." Lilly didn't answer. "Could show you." The Doctor raised his hands towards Lilly's face. Instantly, she stepped back from him. She shook her head.

"I don't want you in my head," Lilly's voice was firm, but her insides felt like jello. There was a long pause between them.

"Could show you another way. Information transfer. Simple. And I won't have access to your thoughts. Promise." Lilly gave him a hard stare. Before she realized what she was saying, her words said themselves.

"Go ahead then," Lilly challenged him. "Prove it." The Doctor put his hands gently on Lilly's shoulders.

"Always wanted to try it actually." And before she could react, he promptly bumped his forehead into hers.

"Owe!" Lilly shouted, stepping back from him and giving him an evil glare.

"Oh," groaned the Doctor. He doubled over putting his hands on his knees for support. "Never doing that again."

Suddenly, Lilly was hit with a tidal wave of images, slamming her into the window behind her. It wasn't like the telepathy she'd felt a few minutes ago. This was intense. Instead of cool liquid gently spreading across her mind, it was like a bucket of ice water dumped unexpectedly on her bare back. She tilted her head up, and gasped.

Lilly was looking at flashes of herself on Platform One. First she saw herself standing next to the Doctor with a guilty look on her face. She saw herself say she hadn't wanted Rose to get hurt. The way she'd said it, it sounded like she hadn't cared if anyone else was harmed. Only Rose mattered. The next image was of Cassandra staring at Lilly like the two of them had a secret. The mechanical spider was on the floor. And Lilly was staring back at Cassandra like she understood. A new scene started. Lilly and Cassandra were arguing in front of everyone. Lilly was angry with Cassandra, and Cassandra was accusing Lilly of reneging on their deal, wanting more money. Cassandra accused Lilly of spilling their plans to the Doctor. Lilly didn't deny their plans. She only denied telling the Doctor anything. It sounded like she'd deliberately been hiding illegal activities from him. Lilly saw herself warn Cassandra. It sounded like she'd only cared about Cassandra's life, because without her there would be no money. All through the visions Lilly could feel the Doctor's emotions shift from surprise to suspicion to horror, and finally to fury just after what looked like Cassandra and Lilly made a clean get away together.

Lilly's vision cleared. She could see the Doctor still bent over leaning on his knees, breathing heavy. He was looking at her, barely able to stand.

"You alri..." Lilly didn't even hear the end of his question when she was hit with another wave of images. She yelped as a second wave blasted its way through her thoughts. She saw the Doctor's memory of himself leaning his forehead on the door to this room. She could feel his dread. The image skipped ahead to his heartache when she'd fallen for his bated question about waiting for 50% from Cassandra. She felt his turmoil and grief and hesitation when he'd attacked her. She could hear his thoughts, but he wasn't thinking in English. The only word she recognized was Gallifrey. She felt his grief, his dread, his indecision, and his loneliness.

"Please!" Lilly called out, "Make it stop." She felt him spare her life, even though he still thought she was guilty. She saw him discussing what had happened with her, and felt his relief, personal guilt, and joy, when he realized she hadn't wanted to harm anyone. Finally, she felt his decision to never destroy anyone's mind ever again. It was resolute. He was determined. The visions faded.

"...ust breathe, Lilly." It was the Doctor. "Deep slow breaths." She saw him still bent over, leaning hands on his knees. He was watching her, concern all over his face. "I'm so sorry, Lilly. I've never heard of anyone reacting that way."

Lilly dropped her hands from the sides of her head. She bent over to mirror his position, hands on her knees, before dropping to all fours.

"I'm sorry," Lilly panted out. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She was sorry she'd given him the wrong idea with all her little cues, and conversations with Cassandra. She was sorry he'd suffered such grief and turmoil over what she'd done. And she was sorry he was completely and utterly alone. His planet was gone.

When watching the show she'd felt sorry for him, but that was just a story. This was real. This man... this real man had lost everything. It was like meeting someone who'd lost their entire family in a car accident or house fire. It was too awful to think about, too horrendous to talk about. But it was his life. Lilly was amazed he was still sane.

She realized he **was** the Doctor. He was the hero she'd seen on 'Doctor Who', but he was also just a man. He wasn't an angel or a demon. He wasn't perfect and he wasn't God. He was a lonely man, trying to do the best he could in an endless impossible universe. He wasn't just a character from a television show. He was a real person, warts and all, but a hero just the same.

The Doctor stood up and offered Lilly his hand.

"You've nothing to feel sorry about," explained the Doctor. "It was my fau..." She stepped up from the floor and forward towards him wrapping her arms around him, giving him a tight hug. She couldn't help herself.

"I'm so sorry," she said, stepping back from him. "I never intended to put you through all that." The Doctor stood stunned, wide eyed, and staring at this peculiar human in front of him. "I believe you. Your promise. And I forgive you." The Doctor visibly relaxed at her words, like a burden the size of a planet had been lifted off his shoulders. "There was no way anyone could have come to any other conclusion," Lilly went on. "It wasn't your fault." She extended her hand to shake his. "I would be honored to call you my friend."

Lilly looked into the Doctor's eyes. They were alight with joy, and a little glassy with unshed tears.

"The honor is all mine." The Doctor took her hand and shook it. Lilly couldn't believe the situation she was in. She was standing on a space station orbiting **in space **shaking an alien's hand. She'd just become friends with the Doctor...THE REAL DOCTOR. She'd traveled through time. She'd met Rose Tyler. She'd found out just how attractive Captain Jack Harkness could be. She'd seen a new color of blue. In that moment all the struggle and heartache was forgotten, replaced with gratitude and joy filling her heart beyond capacity.

"Well, Lilly Brooks," said the Doctor. "No sense in standin' around chin waggin'. Let's go find Rose Tyler."

No sooner were the Doctor and Lilly in the hall, when they were approached by one of the Face of Boe's men. He ran up to Lilly, and with a grand gesture, bowed before her. Just as quickly, he stood up right and ran off.

"What was that about?" asked Lilly, a puzzled look on her face.

"No idea," answered the Doctor, equally puzzled. The two of them made their way back towards the main hall at a slow speed. Lilly was a bit tired, and the Doctor was accommodating her. He smiled.

"Dalek?" asked the Doctor. "You called me a dalek."

"Sorry," she answered, still unable to take the smile off her face.

"Why dalek? How would you even come up with that?"

"Dunno," she answered, surprised at the topic. "I just... I was angry, and tried to think of a name that would hurt you. And it just sort of popped into my head." She slowed her step. "Please don't get mad." The Doctor offered Lilly his hand and a giant grin, reigniting her joy. She quickly accepted his offer. He was the Doctor. And he was her friend.

"I'm not angry. I'm happy. See. This is me... being happy." The Doctor showed an exaggerated grin. Lilly giggled. "So, it was an insult," stated the Doctor. He smiled. "Dalek as an insult." She nodded. "That fits. Very good."

"More like a cuss word." Lilly couldn't help but join in when the Doctor burst into laughter.

"Fantastic," he added between laughs. Which made Lilly laugh even harder. She was walking down the hall of a space station in the future with the Doctor, and he'd just said, fantastic. She couldn't help herself. She giggled again. "And it just popped in your head?" he clarified. Lilly only nodded. She wasn't about to say one word about the show.

Just before the two of them reached the entrance to the great hall, they were approached by a group of three aliens. The aliens were covered in feathers from head to toe. The three of them blocked the Doctor's and Lilly's path, crossed their arms over their chests, and screeched an ear piercing sound. Lilly's hands shot up to cover her ears in record speed, but the Doctor didn't move. Just as before, these three aliens turned and left without explanation.

"O.K. That was weird," commented Lilly.

"It's an honor cry," explained the Doctor, "reserved for only the greatest of heroes."

"Must be 'cause you saved everyone," concluded Lilly. The Doctor nodded.

The first thing Lilly noticed when she and the Doctor walked back into the main hall took her breath away.

"Jabe!" Lilly noticed the tree tending to one of the injured. "She's alive!" Lilly bounced with new found energy.

"You thought she'd be dead?" The Doctor gazed across the room.

"Yeah. But she's not! She's not!" Lilly let out a small whoop and spun around on the spot, drawing stares from some of the closer aliens in the room. She looked up to a puzzled Doctor. Lilly grinned.

"What happened here after Cass..." Lilly swallowed. She couldn't say her name. "What happened while I was gone?"

"Just a minor shield repair." The Doctor grinned.

"So, what? You waved your magic screwdriver around, and voila?" she asked.

"Something like that, yeah." Lilly's euphoria calmed some. How come Rose was alive? How come Jabe was still here? Why hadn't the station burned like she'd seen from Cassandra's ship?

"It looked like the shields were still down when the sun expanded," said Lilly, "when I was trapped on her ship." The Doctor's mood sobered for a moment, before he grinned again.

"Had a half second to spare," explained the Doctor. "Plenty of time. Could've died of boredom waiting for that half second to pass." She couldn't help but smile while the Doctor pretended he was being sincere. "I'm serious," he added, grinning even wider. "Didn't even have a card game to pass the time." Lilly couldn't help it. She giggled. The Doctor smiled at her.

"Rose helped me," he added. He'd stopped joking, eyes staring off into space. "Don't know what I would have done without her." There was a long silence, both deep in thought. If Rose had been the one to help the Doctor, then she must have pulled the switch instead of Jabe. Rose had taken Jabe's place. Lilly smiled. If she hadn't been here, if she hadn't talked to Cassandra, Rose would have been trapped in that viewing room. She wouldn't have been available to help the Doctor. Jabe would have died saving everyone on Platform One, just like she had on the show. A calm sense of peace filled Lilly's heart. She breathed a deep and comfortable breath. Somehow, knowing what she'd done had resulted in Jabe's survival, made the rest of the horror fade into the background.

"Right then," the Doctor spoke up. "You wait here. I'm going to make sure the shields are stable, before the emergency craft overwhelm the system." After a few steps, he turned around to face Lilly, grinning and still walking backward. "If you see Rose, tell her to stay put. Back in a mo." When the Doctor disappeared from sight, Lilly was still smiling. Everything was going to be O.K.

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**So, just out of curiosity... Were you just a tad bit worried about Rose? Hehehehehe**

**Funny thing. Now, if she gets killed off no one will believe she dead.**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter. :-D**


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